I am going to do something shocking, specifically, respond to Pedrillo's question.
You may wish to consider a used Rowland Cadence phono stage, especially if it is run from the Rowland battery power supply as opposed to the A/C power supply (it works with either, but better from batteries). The Cadence is flexible, offering four loading / output options. Used, it runs around $2,000-$3,000. In fact, what you may want to consider is running the Cadence with the Rowland Coherence II preamp, whereby both are run from the Rowland battery power supply. The Coherence II was Rowland's best preamp and goes for +/- $6,000 used (expect to pay $7,500-$8,000 for the Coherence / Cadence combo). I believe that Rowland was the first high-end manufacturer to go to battery power for components, the Edge, ASR, Sutherland and darTZeel designs coming years after.
If your budget is $3,000, I doubt the Cadence idea will get any argument from Rich Maez, as he was with Rowland during the Coherence / Cadence years and does not have a Boulder phono stage in this "modest" price range. I believe Raul likes the Cadence as well. So there, no more arguments.
Disclaimer: This combo is a personal favorite, as I run the Coherence II / Cadence.
You may wish to consider a used Rowland Cadence phono stage, especially if it is run from the Rowland battery power supply as opposed to the A/C power supply (it works with either, but better from batteries). The Cadence is flexible, offering four loading / output options. Used, it runs around $2,000-$3,000. In fact, what you may want to consider is running the Cadence with the Rowland Coherence II preamp, whereby both are run from the Rowland battery power supply. The Coherence II was Rowland's best preamp and goes for +/- $6,000 used (expect to pay $7,500-$8,000 for the Coherence / Cadence combo). I believe that Rowland was the first high-end manufacturer to go to battery power for components, the Edge, ASR, Sutherland and darTZeel designs coming years after.
If your budget is $3,000, I doubt the Cadence idea will get any argument from Rich Maez, as he was with Rowland during the Coherence / Cadence years and does not have a Boulder phono stage in this "modest" price range. I believe Raul likes the Cadence as well. So there, no more arguments.
Disclaimer: This combo is a personal favorite, as I run the Coherence II / Cadence.