Mordante, I also use a RCM Sensor Prelude in my system. As you have rightly evaluated it is a very neutral equipment which has very little of its own personality. I have heard it with some very high end cartridges (ZYX, Lyra) and some entry cartridges like Denon 103, Ortofon Rondo, Kontrapunkt. I may not have heard all the best phonostages in the market but I researched a lot before buying my phonostage and the RCM sounded amazingly good regardless of the money. It can give you those moments of excitement and magic when you use a high quality cartridge and LP that makes you forget even the highest resolution digital playback. It is very dynamic when the music demands it to be, it throws a very 3 dimensional and precise soundstage when you play the concertos or big band Jazz. Tonally it is very good, though I would have loved just a slight more warmth. But I dont miss it for 90% of my listening. In the end this phonostage always tries to dissappear in a system which is a great feeling in the long run. I always like products whose range remains unmeasurable within the context of my listening. The RCM falls in that category.
The only other phonostages that I would like to try in near future is a Whest and 47 Labs phonocube.
The only other phonostages that I would like to try in near future is a Whest and 47 Labs phonocube.