I’ve had a Kondo M7 preamp, which has a built-in phono stage, for years. I’ve had an itch to hear the M7 as a line stage with a stand-alone Kondo M7 Phono to see how much better it is. I went along to Definitive Audio to find out. M7 used as a line preamp with standalone M7 Phono was much better. M7 used as a line preamp with the new SJS Electroacoustics Model 6 phono stage, even better. Kevin had a used Kondo M7 Line stage preamp, so we tried that instead of using the M7 with built-in phono. (Kondo’s preamp naming is very confusing, I realise!). M7 Line with SJS Model 6, best of all. So now I’ve traded in my M7 for an M7 Line and bought an SJS Model 6 phono. I’ve always loved the magic produced by the classic Kondo products, but SJS is now a serious contender.