To each his own I guess. I have used a modified EAR 834P with a Koetsu RSP and it was fine. Currently using the Koetsu with either Shindo Masseto's internal MC (Lundahl transformer) or thru separate Hashimoto SUT. I like these a bit better than the EAR but it's not a major difference.
I also know that Brian Hartsell and Scott Franklin of Wavestream Electronics recommend the Koetsu/EAR pairing for those who can't afford the more expensive Wavestream phono stage.