Oilman- Your comment: "good is just not good enough" reminds me of one of my favorite Matraca Berg songs:
"One more is too much,
Too much is never enough"
That Artisan phono stage is quite a little piece, isn't it? I think it's is the flip side of that thought, equipment-wise. Compact, sleek, simple. No knobs, no tubes to roll, no adjustments except for mc/mm. Sometimes I wish I'd never sold mine.