Zesto Andros II with ESP vs Modwright PH 9.0 XT?

I’ve had the Zestos Andros Deluxe 2 (w/ ESP) for a few years now. FYI I have Raytheon 12 AD7 and GE 7247 for tubes, not the stock JJs. The Zestos replaced a Pass XP-15. The Zestos is just as quiet as the solid state Pass (perhaps more?), with greater "texture" to the presentation. Treble decay (e.g. ride cymbal) is spot on and lengthy, while mid range seems effortless and smooth. Bass, e.g. upright bass, is articulate and full. It is just a captivating phono stage that leaves me wanting nothing, yet the Zestos doesn’t call attention to itself. I’ve use various MCs (Benz Wood, Gullwing and LPS, have an Aidas Gala Gold on it now) and vintage MMs (Stanton 980 LZS and HZS) and the Zestos just allows carts to shine. The Andros 2 is close to endgame for me, and I have no plans to move on from the Zestos. Soundstage is wide, albeit somewhat affected by the 12AX7 tubes you have in there. (For this, it’s hard to beat the uber quiet American 12AX7 types, like 12AD7 or AT7 here) . The Zestos is just a satisfying and well rounded phono stage, I’d imagine one would have to spend quite a bit more for audible improvement. I would prefer more loading options for MCs, but 100- 1000 ohms loading is well covered via a dial on the rear panel. Like the Pass, the Zestos is NOT very sensitive to loading, Ralph (Atmasphere) would suggests this is indicative of good phono stage design. Strangely the low impedance MM Stanton 980 is more sensitive to loading than MCs I’ve tried on the Zestos. Also, The Zestos is nice to look at. : ) Sorry, I have no experience with the Modwright, but I would highly recommend the Zestos Andros Deluxe 2. I got a good Agon deal on the Zestos, and paid well less than MSRP.

@gakerty 

Thanks for your detailed reply.

The 12AT7 is not electrically like the 12AX7, but they will work in a socket wired for the 12AX7.  The 12AT7 will provide noticeably less gain than a 12AX7, assuming you use it in the phono input/voltage gain stage of a phono stage.  And the 12AT7 is likely to sound better with a higher plate current than what is normally used for the 12AX7, in keeping with its much higher transconductance.