The thing about tube amps is that they are art as much as they are electronics. SET amps have a lush midrange that's irresistable, but they generally lack bass control. Push-Pull tube amps are a little more like solid state, in that they have better bass control and are sometimes more tonally balanced, but they don't do vocals like SET amps do.

That little Stoetkit I enjoy so much has nearly SET-like midrange with nearly solid-state-like bass, plus it looks really cool. It uses an amplifier configuration called ultra-linear, which is a push-pull type. It has sweet vocals and tight bass, and has plenty of power too.

I love to listen to music through the two π's and the Stoetkit, and it also has enough power to watch action movies. It has plenty of power, so you won't even push it hard in a room of a couple hundred square feet.

So those are the reasons I suggested the Stoetkit for your two π towers. I've been smitten with the combination and find myself drawn to it. It sounds absolutely fabulous on my seven π's too.

I want a phono stage that has good components and that looks good, so I'm kinda being choosy. It's a small circuit, so it shouldn't be much money to do it right. Until I've found one I'm happy with, I'm prepared to settle with what I've got.

There are some very inexpensive phono stage amps you could use to get you started, while you're still looking. Who knows, your starter phono stage may be the one you end up liking best. Something like the Hagerman Bugle or even a Radio Shack phono stage would get you by while you continue your search. Be sure to look through the posts in the Turntable forum for more ideas too.