Phonostage with dual inputs?

TO Secretguy: Thanks so much; you have nudged me in the right direction, in that the MC side of the backup phonostage is in fact a Denon301II, while the MM side will be serviced by a Clearaudio Virtuoso!

Why are people suggesting phono amps that cost upwards of $1400 to $4000? Have they not read the original post where it is stated that $500 or less is the amount he wants to spend?

Because you might be able to find then used for MUCH less?

A $4000 Aesthetix Rhea for a maximum of $500? Yeah right.

I own the Jasmine LP2.0MkII (soon to be upgraded with Jantzen oil filled output caps). My dearest friend (lives with 4 miles of my front door) concurrently owns the following Jasmine Phono Stages: 2.0MkII. 2.5, & the 3.0.

So, I have frequently heard the stock 3 Jasmines in A-B-C comparisons both through planar speakers and Sennheiser HD-800 headphones. I can distinguish no difference in SQ.

Now, the 2.5 does move the RCA female in/outs further apart thereby facilitating the use of large barrel connectors such as the Cardas SRCA. The LP3.0 adds XLR in/out capability into the mix.

There are apparently different versions of the LP2.0MkII: My unit has 2 sets of RCA inputs - other versions I notice have only one set.

Hope this helps. [BTW: EBay has very few Jasmines listed this week - no new or 3.0.