Looking for a tube phono pre

The Black Ice Audio Fusion F159 is half the price of the Chinook and has electronic azimuth adjustment which the Chinook does not. Sound quality is outstanding, especially if you can't or do not know how to adjust azimuth properly, giving the F159 an advantage over any other phono stage.

If one can't or doesn't know how to adjust azimuth, they should be enjoying their Fluance (nice tables for the money - not a knock), not looking at $3K tube phono stages. It's certainly not "an advantage over any phono stage". This just seems gimmicky, like a faux carbon fiber top.

OP, there are many solid tube choices in this range that should give you awesome sonics. I've owned the Rogue like 4 times, the big deal there is to get one with the BLUE CineMag 1254 SUT. All the Magnums have Blue, and a few of the non-Magnums were also upgraded to Blue. The RED CineMag 3440A suck. I mean, not mincing words, they really suck. There's also a new Ares II version (supersedes the prior version) you should be aware of - I haven't heard it myself but it's supposed to represent a solid step forward. 

I've had the Herron VTPH-2A and the Hagerman Trumpet MC. The Herron is very neutral and detailed and low noise. The Trumpet is very warm, open, beautiful sounding. Doesn't try to be as neutral as the Herron, but I love that kind of romantic sound. It definitely sounds like tubes doing tube stuff. Low noise but not as much as the Herron. The Ares (like all Rogue gear) is an interesting mix of clean non-tube sounds, almost some SS like qualities, and then some tube sound qualities (the Blue CineMag adds some warmth and body so that was a good choice). The Herron does that too (with JFET front end) but is more refined and even handed. All of these 3 stages are extremely flexible with gain and loading options! The Hagerman through wonderful front switches. You will have to change tubes to unlock some of the extra gain levels for the Herron and Ares. The Ares uses DIP switches (ugh) for loading and the Herron uses optional RCA plugs which you have to get from Keith.

I've also got a Sonic Frontiers Phono 1SE+, which at least superficially is like the Chinook with a quad of 6922 and a JFET front end. It runs at 60dB gain, and it's VERY fussy about cartridge matching. Any cartridge around 0.5mV sounds AWESOME on this stage (I assume this extends up to ~ 0.8mV before overload worries). But cartridges with lower output like 0.3mV Koetsus fall totally flat - lacking dynamics and just generally sounding like a bore (the Koetsus sound wonderful on those other 3 stages). I notice the standard Chinook also has 60dB gain. Don't know if that applies to the Chinook. The Hagerman has a JFET front end too but has enough max gain (68dB) to work extremely well with 0.3mV cartridges (I've tried it!). 

Based on the quoted information in bold print, one cannot have an opinion about "electronic azimuth adjustment", because there is not one word of explanation contained in that paragraph.  Lots of hi-gain phono stages use cascode input circuits; I own 3 of them, in fact.  The choice of that input topology does not per se address azimuth adjustment, whether built with solid state or tube devices. Apart from the mention about minimizing crosstalk, which is the function of azimuth adjustment, I still don't know how it works without introducing some complex circuitry to modulate the very low voltage signal from a cartridge; actually adjusting azimuth at the headshell would be a better choice.  I guess that since Fosgate did design the Fozgometer, perhaps he has incorporated some of that circuitry into the input stage. Interesting.  And obviously, he knows more than I do. 

I am not interested in electronic azimuth adjustments. I have test LPs and a Foz to set azimuth, so I’d rather not derail this thread discussing electronic azimuth. 

You can buy a used Aesthetix Rhea in that price range. 

@jmphotography look for a used NVO tubed phono they don't come on the market much but worth to keep an eye out for one. Super quite and very versatile.