Vinyl Asylum: RE: move up from K&K phono, any suggestion? by mulveling

Not a K&K user but I've had a few phono stages, SUTs and cartridges. First you might consider a different SUT than the Lundahl LL1931 (which I believe K&K uses) - that alone could give you a very different sound, and could be especially satisfying if you're looking for a more fleshy, weighty tone. E.g. Bob's Devices Sky, or the EAR MC-3 / MC-4 SUT. I have the LL1931 built into my VAC Renaissance SE phono stage and I definitely prefer the Sky & EAR boxes (bypassing the LL1931 via MM mode). Speaking of which, the built-in MM phono stage options for the VAC full-function preamps sound fantastic (3 tube is good, 6 tube is better), if you're looking to go that route and can score a good used deal.

Second, I'm dying to try out the new Hagerman Trumpet MC that Jim Hagerman should be releasing very soon, at (I expect) a very appealing price point given much simplified casework and PSU - following the trend of Bugle3, Cornet3, Piccolo2. It will have a balanced JFET input stage that gives better loading & gain flexibility than almost any SUT box. I'm not sure if the JFET stage is bypassable, but it has a unity gain mode for MM and all those loading options. I had an old Trumpet that sounded great, but was MM only. I'm thinking the new Trumpet could fill my need for MC and MI cartridges that aren't ideal for use with a SUT (keeping the VAC Renaissance SE, which is wonderful, for Koetsu etc).

Finally, the Don Sachs stuff gets a lot of love lately, and looks very cool. I haven't tried them myself but I'd definitely be curious in your shoes!