With all due respect, I could not disagree more strongly. I am using a an extremely resolving system with a VPI Ares3 TT, super platter option and a wonderful SME Series IV tone arm. That is a pretty nice set up, its in the $9K range in cost and if you think that a good phono stage is not going to make any differences, then why not just buy a cheap $150 phono stage? Save the money and just expect the TT with the fancy tone arm to do all of the heavy lifting.
I can hear huge differences in phono stages as noted above. My brother who is a professional video/audio engineer was shocked at the performance of the high end phono stages when we swapped around the gear. This is not subtle changes, its immense changes. If my high end front end was doing all of the work, then we should not be hearing the improvements, but that is certainly not the case and it is certainly why so many guys tie up more and more money in upper level phono preamps.
High quality phono preamps just do it better. They amplify very low level signals with the minimal amount of noise possible. And based on what the designer put into it circuitry, dictates how well it all plays.
I can hear huge differences in phono stages as noted above. My brother who is a professional video/audio engineer was shocked at the performance of the high end phono stages when we swapped around the gear. This is not subtle changes, its immense changes. If my high end front end was doing all of the work, then we should not be hearing the improvements, but that is certainly not the case and it is certainly why so many guys tie up more and more money in upper level phono preamps.
High quality phono preamps just do it better. They amplify very low level signals with the minimal amount of noise possible. And based on what the designer put into it circuitry, dictates how well it all plays.