Looking for a new phono preamp

A great value for an outstanding phone pre is the PH-16 from Valve Tube Audio. It is sold as a kit, but I had mine built for me by Troy, and with a Lundahl SUT added for low output moving coil carts, the price was around $1200. Without the SUT it is just under $1000 assembled. Yes, it is tubed (four 6922 tubes). It sounds incredible. Check it out athttp://www.tubes4hifi.com/PH16.htmor an even fancier option with different parts but the same basic design is athttp://www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom%20tube%20phono%20stage.html

My reason for asking about the Herron is informational. As I said before, I haven’t completely ruled out tubes.

I don’t think I’m overthinking anything. I’m just trying to decide what to buy, and the information I’ve gotten from this thread so far has been extremely helpful.

okey dokey

good luck to you on your search and journey

I am using an ELAC Alchemy series PPA 2, having moved up from A Musical Surroundings phonomena  II+.. I am very pleased with it and it is within your $ range, has SE and  XLR inputs and outputs and variable loading plus gain option. Fremer liked it and so do I. Check in out.

I am in the same situation. I will probably build my own with a tube rectifier power supply putting about 300 Volts through 100K loading resistors to the plates of a 6SN7 in two stages of amplification and a passive RIAA resistor capacitor network on the output and some 0.33 blocking capacitors to the preamp. I am not willing to accept the expense of MC cartridges which when they stylus is worn out you have to replace the whole cartridge and I don't want to deal with lead in wires to moving coils fatigue fracturing from too many hours of flexing with the vibrations of the moving coils. I am using a red Ortofon MM cartridge. It will be loaded with 0.1 mF and a 47K resistor. I have had good luck in the past
A cheap Chinese tube phono preamp sounds dead like the speakers are wrapped in pillows so it has to go.
I have been designing and building my own preamps and amps for over two decades and this gives me more freedom to use such things as polypropylene filter capacitors in my power supplies rather than have the inferior electrolytic capacitors I see in the power supplies of amps costing tens of thousands of dollars.

I just sold a much more expensive phono preamp and purchased PS AUDIO STELLAR. It is really great and a bargain at that.