I almost bought a Xono before I became a dealer again. I ended up with Dynavector , their 75 is a very good phono stage and exceptional for $750. There is an upgraded one on here for $525. Blue Circle also makes some very good ones. I have the 707, they make a version of it in a very cheap case for under $1000. Very good company to deal with. I have heard good things about the Asr basic stage from Germany, they show up used for around $1000. Change the standard feet of the Scout for Star Sound brass ones, you will be amazed at the difference; it is a screw off screw on operation.
Vinyl Front End Upgrade
I've been sitting on the sidelines without vinyl playback for far too long and am looking to get back in the game. I've got a VPI Scout/JMW 9/Dynavector 20XM (1mv version). I've got no phonostage since I sold my ARC SP16 and bought an LS26. The rest of the system is an ARC SD135 driving Daedalus Audio DA-1.1's through Empirical Design cables. I've spent the last few months listening to digital source material through my Esoteric X-03SE, saving my pennies toward a vinyl upgrade. My plan is to keep the Scout and work on a cartridge and phonostage pairing that will give me vinyl playback as good or better than what I'm getting on the digital side. I've got $3K to spend on new or used components. I'd appreciate some suggestions.