which budget preamp?

hi and thank you for your input. my problem here really is tube or no tube.
i'd like a new mm stage, but it could include mc as well, for 400 bucks. i've spoken with several "experts" and they all tell me different things. one expert told me he would never go with a tube phono stage as the inherent quality of vinyl already lends itself to warm and cozy so tubes just soften the sound too much. another expert told me that ss will bring the sound closer to that of a cd. neither one appeals to me. i was curious about the jolida but one dealer said they are difficult to acquire and even more difficult to deal with should there be a problem. i like the vincent pho8 because of the big power unit but no one in calgary has ever heard of vincent. i like the tubeboxll because it matches my other tt gear, but have been told totally opposite things about it.
finally i like the rega phono because according to everybody, its awesome.
i want big clean punchy smooth and deep, and just a little more from a system that already sounds great. i told my wife this thing is the last thing i buy for the stereo, so i can't mess it up.

Thanks seakayaker for your thoughts and advice. I will read your thread I promise. What about the tubeboxll. Not the se, can't afford it. And why is there so much modding going on. I read about a jd9 that was tweaked to the max. I get the feeling that every one of the "experts" is unhappy that I can only spend 400 bucks and unless I spend 700 or a 1000 I might as well forget about it. Which sucks cause I only have 400. My system is very entry level so spending big bucks on a phono preamp is not something I think I should do. I work in the restaurant business and I can sell you a bottle of wine for 250 bucks, if that's what you want to spend. But I can also sell you a bottle for 60 that is pretty damn delicious. One guy told me that too much of a good thing(adding tubes) can result in a real disappointment. And again how do I know they're not just trying to move certain stock? When I bought my tt I bought it because it filled three specific criteria. It was exactly the price I could afford, the motor was completely separate, and I could use my own interconnects. I have since upgraded the stylus and am very happy with it. I would have loved a clear audio concept, or even the project expression, but they were just too much. So for 400 bucks which phono preamp do you think is best?

The question is "what phono preamp should I buy new for 400 bucks?". I have a budget of 400.00 for a new phono preamp. If I wanted to spend 250 I'd probably by the Bellari. If I wanted to spend 2000 I might buy a Rogue or a Sutherland. But in this PRICEPOINT, I have, luckily, many different options. This is not an arbitrary amount . It is an an amount I have decided I can afford on a phono preamp. I am simply trying to find out what the best sound is gonna be, a 400.00 tube preamp or a 400.00 solid state preamp. I am seeking input and advice from people who have heard any of these particular units:

rega fono
vincent pho8
project tubeboxll
jolida jd9
clear audio nano

thanks,
mike