Turntable upgrade recommendations, please.


Hello,

I am a bit of a newbie, but have have been chasing the "magic" every since I got started on this journey about 2 years ago. My system currently consists of:

Denon dp-47f w/ a Denon 301 mkII cartridge
McIntosh MAC6700
Magnepan 1.6qr

I am interested in upgrading my turntable, assuming that there are real sonic benefits to be had from a new rig at approx. $2500. I have been looking at the usual suspects from VPI, Rega, Pro-ject, etc. 

I am curious to hear if those of you with more experience can tell me how my Denon stacks up against these and if the view will be worth the climb. To my ears, the Denon sounds good, but I am anxious to upgrade if there are significant gains to be heard.

I am also very interested in a McIntosh MT2, but haven't seen any new info or announcements on the release.

Please share your opinions and experiences. 

Thanks in advance!


sdmbdad71
Technics SP-10mkII is hard to beat! With your budget you can have it with tonearm like EPA-100. Custom made plinth is an option. For less you can have Technics SP-20 to spend more on the tonearm and plinth. 
You can move up in the vintage Denon model range.  The DP60, 75, and 80 should all outperform your DP47f, with the DP75 and DP80 being in the same league with the SP10 Mk2.  To my ears, in my system, my DP80 outperformed my SP10 Mk2, in fact.  But there are a myriad of choices besides Denon vs Technics, if you like vintage Japanese DD.  And I do agree with Chakster on the Technics EPA-100 or EPA-500 tonearms. Both of those outperform any tonearm Denon ever made, IMO.
The groovemaster certainly looks very nice for around $2500. I enjoy the Well Tempered Amadeus very much. An Amadeus used should be around $1400, new with a little discount, within your stated price range.