$ 2500 -- Best Way to Spend It Today ?

Hey Jaybo......Thanks for the comment. I spent three hours in front of my Vandersteens last night, listening to my upgraded NAD 533 through my Rogue Cronus, thoroughly enjoying Hank Mobley, Dizzy Reese, Lee Morgan, old Led Zep, and acoustic Grateful Dead. When my wife saw my ear-to-ear grin brought on by my loving all the music, she too said "keep the money for now, your system sounds absolutely fantastic just the way it is !!!" I'm starting to think that you and she are both absolutely correct !

Yeah. Jaybo has a point. Next time I'll check the poster's system link to see what he already has. You have the glass platter upgrade, and I expect that's the Rega RB250 arm, right? With a $99 Goldring Elektra cartridge, I'd say your TT rig is plenty good to show benefits from a higher-res cartridge. Given the smile your current rig puts on your face, you probably want to stick with something similar, just better. That way you don't upset the TT-to-phono stage balance, amount of gain or required capacitance, etc.

So maybe move up to a Goldring 10x2 series cart. They're a big jump in resolution, tracking, and extension, but have about the same output as the Elektra and would make good matches with the same kinds of arms.

i recently swapped out a Denon DL-160 HOMC for a MM Audio Technica AT150MLX, and the difference in the amount of musical information it extracts is not subtle. And your downstream components are up to the task, to say the least.

So I'd say, to hear a significant improvement over your current rig, just try a Goldring 1022 or 1042, or an Audio Technica AT150MLX, or an Ortofon 2M Blue or Black. I'm sure other aficionados will chime in with their high output, med-to-high compliance carts as well.

Best of all, this is just a $200-to-600 outlay to realize a significant improvement without losing anything of what you like about your system now. And of course, if you decided to get a better analog rig later, you can migrate the cartridge.

Adam,

Sounds like your hearts in the right place, but if you're wondering about what difference an upgrade would make, go to a Rega dealer, since your NAD is basically a P2, and hear for yourself how meaningful the differences are between a P2, P5 and P7 and any other brands they carry in your price range. Of course, it's not a question of whether differences exist, or even how big they are, but how important they are to you and your enjoyment, and if and when you want to prioritize them. It's as simple as that. Good luck and keep enjoying Hank and the crew!

Hey, Johnnyb53..........Those are some pretty solid ideas. Thanks a lot. Yes, my TT arm is the Rega RB-250, and I just switched to the Rega glass platter (I need to upgrade the photos in my "system link" to show the newly improved table, and to also show the Rotel RCD-1072 which has replaced my Marantz CD-63SE/Musical Fidelity X-10D digital front end.

Now, without being able to audition a new pick-up, how can I best decide between a Goldring 1022/1042, AT150MLX, or Ortofon 2M ?? Also, should I include the Dynavector 10x5 on the list of contenders ?

Hey Piedpiper....Thanks for your input !! That's some great advice !!....And yes, enjoying "Hank and the crew" and really digging the tunes is what it's all about, my friend. After all, when we get right down to it, it's the MUSIC that really matters !!