Inna, the 8000-C and my Grado Sonata are a match made in heaven. They have incredible synergy; the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. If you research the 8000-C, you will discover it has an exceptional phono section.
Since it was gathering dust, I decided to put it to use; was I surprised. The setup I described comes under "weird true and freaky", but it works.
The subtle musical nuances I hear on playback of my treasured vinyl, enable me to return to that lounge where we played our favorite tune, over and over; or looked across the sea at sunset.
This magic carpet ride continues all night long. I used two baluns and Cat-5 to run a signal to the bedroom. Nothing evokes emotions like music properly reproduced. It enables one to experience feelings of times past that put a glow in their hearts, and a smile on their face; the music never stops here.