Best tube-based phono stage?

There is no definitive "best" of anything. There are way too many variables involved. The "best" you can hope for is to find something that works well in your system. You can then say it's the "best" for you until you find something you think is better !!!!

I believe Jarobertson is refering to the excessive moderation that has been in place since the A'gon "upgrade" was put in place. It ruins the flow of the conversations, IMHO.