LCR phono stages we know about

John, I am very familiar with your association to K&K. I agree they make very fine products. However, what has any of that got to do with the price of eggs or the topic of this thread? I guess I can be faulted for not having catalogued every possible way of designing an RC RIAA network. For example, you did not mention that it's also possible to use a capacitor as the first element in an RC RIAA, tapped in series off the plate of the input voltage amplifier, instead of a resistor. Nor did I wish to turn this thread into a debate about the relative merits of each type of RIAA filter. I just want to know more about LCR type phono stages that are already out there as commercial products, and how they sound in comparison to other good phono stages.

"I would also like to hear from anyone who has actually listened to any LCR type phono"
I have listened to the Ypsilon (driven by a Lyra, on a Yorke parallel arm, S Yorke 10 TT). Mind you, I just heard it: I never had it at home.

Well, it is very detailed and gives the feeling of not adding or doing anything to the sound. Strange because it has a tube somewhere in the circuit, caps & inductors -- bu that's the impression it conveys. In other words, as if it's not in the system at all.
Sonic result: The details are most noteworthy: there is detail even within what may sound like a dynamic crescendo with another phono (say, the big Pass or the small FM acoustics). Typically, you will listen at high volume, the music is magical. I don;t know if the Y's dynamics are equal to other top phonos (or worse or better) -- I couldn't really tell.

Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near being able to afford $26k for aphono -- or anything else for that matter!

Lewm, I've heard the H3000v in my system...and have heard the H5000 in friends systems. The H5000 is likely one of the the very best out there. The H3000v I heard definitely presented things is space with much more palpability. Just eerily real soundstage and how the instruments are portrayed...I can only guess that this is from the LCR network...

I own a Lounge MK3 LCR phonostage. They now sell for ~$250. I believe the load is 47K ohm, 100 pF. The gain is 40dB. Works well with my Sumiko Bluepoint No. 2 cartridge. Considered one of the better budget (under $500) stages out there. I have not done comparisons so can’t comment directly.

I agree with Jfrech's analogy. The Allnic does have a palpability and involving presentation that is addicting. I have owned the Allnic H3000 for about 8 months and still learning it and still trying to figure out the best load as there are 16 options! However, with my Jubilee MC there are realistically only about 10 options but they do each present differently.