I have owned the MP3 with the phono for several years. It is a terrific preamp capable of outstanding sound. It is relativly quiet for a tube preamp but I doubt it will ever be as quiet as the solid-state, battery powered PHD. I certainly wouldn't call it a "step back". It has speed, transparency, air, bloom, and frequency extension in spades. Your going to have to decide if that's worth the potential of a little tube hiss.
FWIW. the preamp's stock chinese AT7's, in the phono section, are quieter than some highly selected NOS that I have tried and, IMHO, sound just as good.
Lastly, I agree with Tubes 108 that you should have the transformer option if you choose a cartridge with an output <0.5mv.
FWIW. the preamp's stock chinese AT7's, in the phono section, are quieter than some highly selected NOS that I have tried and, IMHO, sound just as good.
Lastly, I agree with Tubes 108 that you should have the transformer option if you choose a cartridge with an output <0.5mv.