I can't imagine why you have volume trouble with 70dB gain. Should be plenty. Listening with volume control up past 12:00 is also desireable, as this is the lowest distortion region.
Hiss? Well, that could just be the phonostage. Other ones may be quieter. Or you could use something like a Piccolo2 on the front-end to put things back together.
Hiss? Well, that could just be the phonostage. Other ones may be quieter. Or you could use something like a Piccolo2 on the front-end to put things back together.