Recommendations for MM Phono ~ Tube or Solid State

Dear @scar972 : : Angelo and Levinson designed in those old times Cello electronics and both never were to good phono designers . Cello/Levinson amplifiers is other matter and very good ones.

The FR vintage SUT was and is only an average/mediocre unit from those times when in those times Denon, Audio Technica, Entré, Sony or Tachnics and others were at the top and I owned almost but the top Technics as afact I still own what for me is the best SUT ever Denon 1000, I own too an Entré and other Denon 340.

You own a just first rate room/system but that could not means that you are rigth about the phono/Sut because IMHO you are not and I agree with @lewm in this specific regards. Yes, that’s what you like and I think that you have to listen to a top today active high gain SS phonolinepreamp  and compare too vs live MUSIC seated at near field .position.

R.

“this SUT”
@scar972 

What is the brand name / model of your SUT ? 

Scar, now that you’ve provided more detail in your past history, I would say you have about as much data as many of us have to support our convictions. At some point one wants to stop experimenting and move on to other audio dilemmas. But after I found that some of my most closely guarded biases did not hold up to new experiences, my motto has become never say never.

@lalitk the SUT I experimented with is a modestly priced vintage Japanese unit, Fidelity Research FRT-4, it's been mentioned here quite a few times. Not saying it's the best or anything but I'm impressed with how it plays with my cartridges and I'd like to hear a few more SUT's in the future.

@lewm this is a newly formed bias so it's not etched in stone, I'm always open to learning and being impressed by other ideas.

@rauliruegas impressed that you knew my King/Cello phono is a Colangelo-Levinson design, kudos! I'm actually experimenting with the MM stage of a Manley Chinook at the moment and not the King/Cello. Amongst the high-gain phono stages I've had here are Tom Evans the Groove, Pass Labs XP-15, Linn Linto, King/Cello, Manley Chinook and a few lower priced ones.