I've had mine for 6 months.
This Steve Hoffman thread goes nowhere. The PL can't be equally compared because there isn't a similar build on the market.
If you're the type to listen for hiss at max volume between tracks, the PL will lose against just about everything when using MC. MC gain on most is done with transformer/FET.
Other than that, it delivers the tube presentation that the best SS attempts to copy.
My ears seem to agree with most said in the reviews