Ralph's phono is supposed to be exceptional(ive never heard one but trust those who say so). I have tried a rhea signature with a Jim mcshane premuim tube set and was completely underwhelmed. It also had some tube noise so probably that is common to the unit. I tried it the same time as the zesto and the Herron and those 2 really outclassed it. The zesto had a bit of a mid hall presentation with the Herron putting you up in the front row. The rhea was very dark sounding without the same level of inner detail. The other 2 were dead quiet.
I ended up buying the Herron and have never looked at photos since.
I ended up buying the Herron and have never looked at photos since.