My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?

@johnto - The Ayre may well be a good fit. Problem is limited number of pre-owned units that come to market. Among the solid state units the Pass Labs XP-15 and Whest units seem to have a strong following and excellent reviews. Like the Ayre, they too have balanced outputs and are set up as dual mono units, which reviewers have suggested provides the lowest noise and highest S/N ratio.

@joey54 The Rhea is on the list. I may have some questions about it as I review the responses. My concern about the Musical Surroundings Nova III is that its sonic signature may be much like my Phenomena II+ - very quiet, good clarity, but how extended is the frequency response at the top and bottom (is the bass solid, deep and crisp and are the higher frequencies extended, natural sounding, not overly bright or etchy? Have you owned or auditioned it?

@grislybutter Why is the Manley on your short list? Have you owned or auditioned one? Which Sutherland model would you suggest within my budget, new or used? Why that one?

@dayglow The JC3+ is very flexible, with its variable loading, has balanced outs, a plus from my perspective. My reading, however, suggests a pre-owned Pass XP-15 will have a more natural sound, with equal extension at the bottom and top. Have you listened to or owned either? BTW, aesthetics are pretty much irrelevant to me, as its all about the sound, the reliability of the unit and how well it mates with my other components.

Thanks to all for your feedback. Looking for more specifics.

@vonhelmholtz Your admission of hypocrisy is refreshing and I did laugh. The reasons for maintaining an analog front end are three - I own about 300-400 LPs, some my Dad's dating back to the early days of LPs. Second, some of the things I have on LP are not available in digital format because of their age, but the performances are excellent, some of them classics. This is especially true of old classical recordings by artists long gone. Finally, I'm not expecting my analog rig to match the quality of my already quite good digital front end. I'm just looking to make what I view as a modest improvement, and based on my reading and limited auditioning a quality phono stage may provide that improvement. As the saying goes, "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Not looking for perfect, just better, which based on hearing some gear at dealers, is reasonably possible.

@grislybutter Thx for the response and the tongue in cheek about my lack of concern regarding aesthetics. What about the Manley units was stunning? Can you be more specific about the sound signature? And what TT/cartridge was delivering the signal to the Manleys, if you can recall? Which model(s) of the Manleys did you hear? Chinook? Steelhead, which is way out of my budget? Thx in advance for your response.

I appreciate all the input, particularly from people who own or have auditioned the gear on my list. As you well know getting to dealers who carry this stuff is very difficult, much less getting units to try at home with my gear and in my listening room.

Thanks for the all the helpful input.

@grislybutter Thx for confirming you auditioned a Chinook, and  for remembering TTs used.. As to design, whatever floats your boat. My gear is more industrial looking, although the Ayre Acoustics gear is clean and modern looking. But looks can be deceiving. Think about the gorgeous blond with nothing between her ears or the splashy Ferrari that ends up in the service bay on a too regular basis. Neither for a long term relationship. But if it looks great and does well all the better!

@joey54 Thanks for the input on the Nova III. It is very helpful. I will see if the dealer who sold me the Phonomena II+ will lend me a Nova III. The Rhea would be a pre-owned unit, but finding one to audition is not easy. Understand the Ayre's limited settings. Will check the manual and see if it mates well with my cart.

@islandmandan The Herron is highly regarded by Audiogoners, but tough to find, much less to audition. Congrats on finding one and glad you are enjoying it. Did you get to audition one first or sometime in the past?

@vonharaland Thanks for the information on the Sutherland 20/20. Will check it out.

@karl_desch I've thought about a cartridge upgrade and a friend recommended the Lyra Delos. But pairing a  roughly $2,000 cartridge with a $750 phono stage is a concern to me. I hear you, but hard to demo a cartridge. And you have a phono stage far superior to even what I'm considering. So how much of what you're hearing is the cart vs. the phono stage? Not easy to answer unless you could demo my cart on your system.

Again, thx to all for the helpful input.

@tablejockey Thx for the Zesto and Icon suggestions. 

@islandmandan Have you auditioned any of the other stages on my list? Curious to how the Herron stacks up to the Pass Labs, Whest, Manley Labs or any of the  others that are popular among Audiogoners. 

@tomic601 If it were easy to audition these phono stages on a similar set up I would have done it. My goal is to settle on two or three and find a way to audition in home on my gear in my listening room. Auditioning at a dealer on different equipment tells one far less. I know I can audition a more costly, new Pass XP-17, the PS Audio Stellar and the Manley Chinook. Suspect I can also audition the Parasound JC3+ and Whest Two.two.  Just trying to narrow the field. I share your sense that a cartridge upgrade may come later, if even needed. BTW, the TT is well isolated.
 

You obviously like my Ayre preamp. What’s the other piece you like? Given your suggestion to explore the balanced out approach into the preamp I think that would rule out the tube stages on my list. I would like, however, to audition at least one of them to see if a tube stage provides more meat on the bones while retaining detail and extension at the top and bottom. Do you have a preference among the tube stages on my list?

As to designed by committee, it’s more a case of accumulated over time. Thx for the best wishes and the offer of meeting for java if I’m in lovely San Diego. 

Ok, all - thanks for the input, observations, recommendations, etc. Now I have even more options to consider, but I have begun narrowing them down. I would appreciate continuing to hear from those who own any of the phono stages on my initial short list or others recommended in the posts to date, particularly if they've auditioned more than one of those.

Also, while I'm sure with the best of intentions, suggestions involving gear that is way over my budget are not particularly helpful. I am, however, willing to purchase preowned and am checking prices of those pieces in the resale market.

Will try to winnow it down to a maximum of three to audition, most preferably at home with my gear in my listening room. Again, your comments are appreciated.