Analog Front End Next Upgrade

Update:  I ordered the Lehmann Decade Phono Stage!  I understand the push for a tubed phono stage.  I'm currently using a Hovland HP-100 tubed with NOS pre-war yugo 12AX7s.  This setup is for headphone use only, so I feel that SS is probably my best bet.  Vinyl through headphones is pretty amazing, but it takes so much more effort to perfect it, IMO anyway.  I'm hoping the new decade phono stage will open up more detail and throw a bigger image.  The black cube SE II was already pretty damn quiet so its hard to imagine improving that parameter.  I think I will change out my cables next.  That should set me up to make a cartridge upgrade a couple years from now.

I I think you made a wise choice. Next, when it is time to replace your stylus, send it into Soundsmith and have Peter upgrade it with a level 2 tip and a sapphire cantilever. I did this with an ACE L and was floored by the improvement. It came very close to my Ruby 3 and is currently my second favorite cartridge. It beat out my Glider and Zyx R100, various modded Adcom and Ortofons. The Ruby 3 ultimately wins out but that is a 3500 cartridge.

@raymonda Thank you.  I'm not quite sure what separates the Scheu SL from the Benz ACE SL.  There's also not much press on the Scheu SL cartridge so its hard to know how it compares to other carts in the $1500 price point. I've owned an ACE many years ago and I do think the Scheu is a step above the ACE, but I wish I knew what Scheu does to differentiate their cartridge and justify the price increase.

From that perspective I do feel like my cartridge is a bit of an unknown quantity, and I'm looking forward to seeing if a more resolving phono stage like the Lehmann Decade will bring more performance out of my table/cartridge combo. 

Yeah, I would've done either the same or got Sutherland 20/20.
However I am a Purist Audio cables fan and don't use Cardas, though I am unfamiliar with his newer cables.

@nordicnorm, your argument that solid state phonos offer more bang for the buck than tube doesn’t wash especially with your comparison of a new Allnic 1201 at $3,500.00 (can be bought new from a dealer on Agon for less than $2,600.00 and have sold one slightly used my self for under $2,000.00) to a used Blue Circle for $2,000.00. If you haven’t heard the little Allnic you really need to give it a try.