I have spent a few hours listening to individual tracks through a Van den Hul The Grail and a Trilogy 907 in order to get a feel for the two units. I used a meter to level match within 1 db and I attached both units to my preamp buffer (Pass B1). The delay when switching was 30 seconds because I had no mute button and had to switch the tt cables from one unit to the other. That was as good as it gets.
I think I can detect more of a rough edge to bass guitar twangs in "Nice'n'Sleazy" (the Stranglers) and to drums in general through the Trilogy 907 than through the more polished (polite?) Van den Hul the Grail. Otherwise they are very close. I loaded the Benz Gullwing SLR with 1k ohms on the Trilogy 907 - better to my ears than at 400 ohms. The Grail has automatic loading.
As I had detected very little between the two, I asked my oldest daughter to come and listen to a track, Yazoo's, "Nobody's Diary" through both phono stages. She could barely tell them apart and refused to choose between them. She liked the music, though.
In the afternoon she preferred The Grail on another track, but at that time I used the 400 ohm load on the Trilogy 907.
I know about expection bias - which would have the Grail win out - on the other hand I suppose I really want the "cheaper" option to be so good that I will not mind letting the Grail go.
The next round tomorrow will focus on human voices.
Today the verdict is: I can live equally well with either unit. That sort of ties in with the conclusion of a Norwegian forum test of the Trilogy 907 where the user failed to detect any drawbacks to the Trilogy 907 compared to an EAR 324 and his own (modded) phono stage.
I have a Partridge 977 SUT but I have had no luck with it through quite many mm stages: EAR 802 (onboard), Croft Riia R and the onboard mm riaa in the Pass B1 buffer. I also tested the Partridge 977 with the Grail for about 15 seconds, and had the same dull and uninspired result.
Edit: oh and before anyone asks - absolutely zero HUM.