What is the next Phono Pre-Amp for me?

The following are excellent:

Aesthetix IO Signature
LAMM LP2 Deluxe
Manley Steelhead

I have tried many others and these are my favorites. If you hit the lottery, the word is that the Boulder is unreal.

herron vtph... in particular is one of the best matches to lyra as anyone would say that aestethix io is a great match for the benz. i'd say it can uncover an "artifacts" of that cartridge as no other phono-stage. in-fact if you've got a possibility you can verify that fact...

There are some very good phono stages out there without doubt.
Sooner or later you have to choose it based on your own priorities.
Counting brands only is useless, you have to know what they can and what not.

- excellent sound ( + enough gain )
- reliability
- flexible in settings
- insensitive to microphonics or hum

maybe there are a few more, but these 4 are the most important ones and when all 4 are on the priority list, then there are not so much out there.....
( some like to play around with tubes or whatever, some are less interested it that, their priority is that is has to work the way it should when activated, and everyone has his own dream of course....)

One of the definetly best phono stages is the Stan Klyne 7 PX 3.5, it beats the ARC PH 3 easily.
Personally I am very careful about all the hype, most is written in magazines and is pushed by dealers to make some new money, and most is too optimistic, by far.
The next step above a Klyne is the CTC Blowtorch.

Cheers

I second Marakanetz's recommendion on the Herron VTPH MC version. The PH3 SE is a little analytical sounding unit for my tast and you must have MC cartridge with minimum 0.4mv (or 0.5mv if you want to stay on the safe side) or more in order to work well with the PH3 SE. If you happen to like the sound of the PH3 SE then the ARC Reference phono stage is a logical upgrade path. The IO is nice but tube maintenance is a big concern down the road.

Hi,
I had the Herron, a very nice unit, but I switched to the new Vendetta board in my CTC Blowtorch. In my system, it was much more resolving, more dynamic and still very musical. Plus I got rid of a set of IC's and an expensive power cord.

David