Best Phono You've Heard Under $2200

@sandthemall 

👍🏼 Enjoy!

My current Hagerman Trumpet MC tube phono pre with two 1960’s NOS Brimar au7’s and four Dynaco/Telefunken smooth plate ax7’s. 
 

Very well under the $2,200 mark. 

@sandthemall

Mr. Mulveling’s input and this was a large part of me looking into the this phono stage as his posts are always well-reasoned and thoughtful.

Same. I think you will enjoy it. And it seems it can take just about any cart you can throw at it. Although it is helped by a fet to drive lo carts (because of the power supply choice to keep the cost low), I do like my lo Soundsmith MIMC vs my hi Zephyr. Both sound great, and I was a bit hestiant on the fet helping to drive lo carts, but again, it sounds great.

@sandthemall

I’ve done a bit of research on this segment. And I’ve put an order in for a Hagerman Trumpet MC.

Congrats. I’m really enjoying mine, and is incredibly flexible for various carts lo to hi. Run with the stock tubes, but don’t be afaraid to use others. Before I stumbled accross the Dynaco/Telefunken snooth plates at a good price, I was using Gold Lion gold pin ax7’s, and for new tubes, those are pretty darn good. Very similar to the Tele’s, but the Telefunken's have a bit more smoothness. But both provided a bit more detail and definition over the stock Mullards. That said, it all dependes on the rest of your equipment, and what your ears prefer.

From some (@mulveling here provided some great insight and convinced me), whom have had many more and much higher end phono pre’s than I, a great pre and performance for the money. And can easily compete with pre’s twice it’s cost+.

still use the same tubes it came with.
 

I'm sure. Their stock of NOS tubes is incredible.

@gochurchgo 

rs worry me. Also the cap might be too high for my cart but I see many with 220pf. I run MM/MI only (at least for the forseeable future) and so it seems like I would be wasting most of this thing’s functionality.

As do I, but it is nice to have options for the future without needing a SUT. As example my 'new' Soundsmith MIMC Lo cart, which I am quite enjoying. In addition, I still have my eyes on an MC cart at some point in the future, just to have/try one. The line of Benz are looking quite attractive to me lately.