Phonostage


I have a Vintage silver direct drive Pioneer Quartz - PLL - Automatic (model PL - 560) turntable that my husband purchased around 1979.  It currently has a Shure M97xE phono cartridge and N97xE stylus.  At this time I don't have a phono stage.  I listen to Vinyl LP's by directly connecting the TT to our vintage Yamaha amp. I have about 4 dozen vinyl LP's.  Most of them I've recorded to my computer using Audacity at 192/24.  The computer versions have more micro details and clarity than the vinyls played on the turntable. Maybe that's the fault of the vintage Yamaha amp and MA-6 speakers the turntable is connected to, which is not my main system. In the past I purchased a $100 phono stage (to connect to a Harmon Kardon AVR)  and was not impressed with the results I heard.  Yes I know, AVR's stink when it comes to quality music listening.  Since the turntable was never a top-of-the-line model would it make any sense to purchase a phonostage that cost more than the turntable's original price and a better cartridge and stylus? Or should I just forget it?  I will not be investing in a new turntable based system.  I just want to know if it would be worth it to improve on what I already have. So I guess I'm asking (anyone familiar with this vintage TT) "Is my turntable "capable" of increased clarity and details?
mewsickbuff
I am a big fan of the  DYNAVECTOR - 10x5 MC Phono Cartridge.  It is a high output MC and doesn't need a MC pre stage.  I have sold and installed 100+ of them in every turntable you can imagine.  Big improvement!  Put one in an AR turntable and your are 96.5% of your way to Nirvana.

  "Is my turntable "capable" of increased clarity and details?  Yes!  All the amps and speakers in the world can't make up for a bad cartridge.

I had manged to accomplish reasonable quality with Grado gold MM cartrige and Furutech GT40 phonostage. My equipment is:
1.Turntable Technics SLD2
2. DTC 9.8 as preamp
3. Cary audio SA-200.2 power amp
4. Monitor Audio PL 300 speakers

I think Grado gold can be a good inexpensive choice for this turntable, since I was using Shure M97xe before and Grado produces better sound.