First off, there's little question in my mind that tube RIAA stages
can and frequently do deliver superior subjective sound over many solid
state ones. This fits with Hamm et al.

Secondly, as I indicated before, I think the question of line level
stages is best solved by minimizing the circuit path and the number of
interconnects, i.e. no preamp at all. Tuners, tape machines, and DACs
(whether separate or built in) should be capable of directly driving
most power amps with which they may reasonably be expected to used
(i.e. 1Vpp into any bridging load single ended or +4dBm into 600 ohm
balanced or not) or the stereo amp should have a volume control and
switchable inputs (i.e. a line stage integrated). The preamp should
ideally be an obsolete critter. Especially in an era where so many
"audiophiles" have no analog sources.

(A corollary is the "passive preamp", another way of saying a
switchbox and volume control. I am sometimes inclined to think we'd be
better off doing it "telco style"-no, not doggystyling Lily Tomlin, but
putting WECO double jacks on the front and patching them as desired as
is still done in pro audio and even video with 75 ohm BNC cables in
patchbays.)

Thirdly and most significantly, I really have come to the conclusion
that whether the phono stage is solid state or tube is less important
than whether-or I should say _how far_-it is located from the
cartridge. Phono stages should be as close as possible as long as they
aren't too close to the table's motor. Putting a good solid state phono
stage in the table itself or immediately outboard, is the way to go. My
next project is going to be a phono stage in a little box using two
stage passive, as opposed to Baxandall, RIAA. If I use a variable lab
supply I can build it so I can use triode tubes or N-channel FETs and
experiment easily (and indeed if I use a 90-volt B+ as recommended with
6DJ8's I could probably just find a suitable FET that will live at that
source voltage.)

And as an aside, what magic mojo does c-j do that a hobbyist couldn't?