I think the Raven One would be an excellent choice given your listening preferences and tendency to hold on to equipment for a long time. The flexibility of the Raven would serve you well. For example, the ability to add a second arm/cartridge if you own a lot of mono LP's.
I concur with what others have said about Jeff Catalano at High Water Sound; absolutely first class. He also carries other equipment that may work well for you given your preference for a "tubey sound".
I've only had the opportunity to audition the Raven One at the RMAF, but both years it sounded excellent and it offers great bang for the buck. You definitely a large measure of the bigger Raven AC. Good luck!
I concur with what others have said about Jeff Catalano at High Water Sound; absolutely first class. He also carries other equipment that may work well for you given your preference for a "tubey sound".
I've only had the opportunity to audition the Raven One at the RMAF, but both years it sounded excellent and it offers great bang for the buck. You definitely a large measure of the bigger Raven AC. Good luck!