Sir Foo,
totoo yan ha! we should warn Pier buyers to be careful about that. this is also true here in Davao. i have three Sansuis, yung isa (AU-XII - TOTL in early '80s) may problema ang phono section. kung minsan pag uminit nawawala ang signal. also, i have three upscale solid state preamps, all surplus, one has a noisy phono section. i remember Diego also complained about this to me and the shop he bought the unit from does not even have a turntable or LP record to test his amp's phono output.
mukhang one common problem for upscale units from Jap recycling centers is the phono section. siguro galing yan sa mga audiophile/vinyl addicts and instead of repairing those units there (minimum service charge - outside of parts - for a minor problem is 5,000 yen, or a little less than $50) binebenta na lang nila ng por kilo sa recyclers.
kung hindi vinyl inclined ang makakabili, no problem. pero Pinoy analog addicts would be disappointed. the best way for those going to analog who intend to buy at the Pier is to test those amps - puwedeng improvised, hook an RCA connector sa phono jacks and hold the ends, dapat may hum or low frequency sound feedback yung dalawang channels - at pareho ang strength ng volume. the best, however, is to bring a turntable, tulad nung old burger-type portable TT ng Audio Technica.