best phono stage under 10k

I forgot to say (on the balanced / noise topic) that making sure your phono cables are balanced and the phono preamp has a balanced input is probably going to help a lot...

My demo Audiospecials Phonolab 1.0 is in Texas right now for a demo. Wanna hear it? What cart(s) are you using?

Since I have a commercial bias I will refrain from subjective comment. If you don't mind using a translator you can find a very thorough german magazine review including measurements on the manufacturer website...

It is surprising that 3 pin (xlr, lemo etc) connectors for phono cables aren't more common since the cartridge is a balanced source.
Anyways just an fyi (same commercial interests caveat) the Phonolab has balanced inputs AND balanced outputs (transformer for output). The outputs support both 775mv and 1.55v reference levels...

Of course Ralphs preamps are superb, if you are considering a full preamp swap!