@oranfoster,
Thank you for your post. I am a newbie to Vinyl playback so I am still learning and exploring the ways to better my analog setup. Your thread peaked my interest since I own Accuphase E-650 and been thinking about optional AD-50 phono board vs external phonostage.
No doubt, Luxman EQ-500 is a very nice phono and deserves all the high praises from end users like yourself and reviewers. I’ve upgraded from Parasound ZPhono XRM to E-Glo S with external LPS recently. The uptick in SQ is amazing, there is just something about tubes and Vinyl, it’s just gets you closer and deeper into the music.
Enjoy!