I had the EAR in my system before upgrading to a pre-amp with phono. I found the EAR very musical but a little dark in my system(replacing the tubes to NOS would probably make an improvement)I tried the PH-1 and while I found it more versatile(more options for gain and cartridge loading)I preferred the EAR. The PH-1 was very accurate and detailed but my bias runs toward the tube sound more than solid state. They are both great phono stages and I don't think you could go wrong with either. It all comes down to your listening preference.Good luck.
