Sorry about that delay. The only serious phono amp I used prior to the PPA-1 is the Sonic Frontiers. They are both very good but the AA is better in my system. It has a lot more detail and still has a glorious mid-range, stage width & depth. It really beats the SF on the top end. I would say the SF is slightly better on the bottom. The AA just sounds more natural in my system where the SF is a little darker.
More detail and bigger soundstage is certainly good, but I am a little worried about bass. The Devores tend toward the lean side in my system/room so I don't want to lose any low end and was hoping to gain some actually.
Are you running an MC? How much experimenting did you do with the loading and how much difference did it make?