In search of quality mc Phono stage

Sutherland 20/20 LPS

Very quiet.  I found it a bit bare with female voice, but spent 8K on used market to get that last bit of musicality.

Phono stages are extremely critical in getting the sound your turntable and cartridge are capable of creating. I definitely recommend tubes to get the full musicality.

You have a very high quality turntable and cartridge so I recommend a phonostage from Audio Research (my favorite), Conrad Johnson, or Presto. However, I would save up. I would invest something on the order of the value of your turntable.

To get most of the capability from your TT I would recommend a used Audio Research PH8. Better would… well be better. But given the really low number you threw out this will get you 90% there.

Solid state vs tube phono preamp is probably a conversation worth having. In my previous life I used a low wattage SE Triode amp and Audible illusion preamp with phono stage. So, the quiet,fast, detailed Sutherland didn’t really sound ‘musical’ to me. I wanted to move to a tube phono stage, but I was told that I would need to spend a good bit more money to go tube and maintain speed/detail. @ghdprentice has the experience to suggest great tube options. I ended up with a solid state phono preamp from Audionet that is very musical with all the detail that made vocals appealing to me.  After reading the post above and based on my limited experience with four plus phono stages, I think that it is a component that benefits greatly when you extend your budget.  

Thank you for the responses. So the concessions seems to be stay with Tube. By the way my Mac gear is a set of Rebuilt MC 30’s and a C22 pre amp.
I will raise my budget. I might look at  AN and ANK Phono stages as well. The local shop is very familiar with AN and the building of ANK gear.

thanks for the info.

Your C22 has a phono stage. Just get a SUT that works with the Koetsu. 

Maybe you should contact Bob's Devices and ask for a recommendation.

https://www.bobsdevices.com/