Trying vinyl, need some help!

I upgraded my old Grado masters series to a new reference master 2. Grado are amazing. The cart assists in isolation and is utterly transparent. It sounds better than cds and even hd playback imo. The Grado sonata is a solid place to start. they are an American company located in Brooklyn and make everything there. They invented the stereo cartridge in the 40’s? 30’s? and still hold the patent to this day. I believe they will also take certain of their carts back when you are ready to upgrade and will offer a discount on the new piece. No I don’t work for them just very enthused.

@brianmoriarty 
Have you seen this video about Grado Labs https://youtu.be/L2ZpJHGYMC8 ? Very interesting. 

One of the best Grado MI i have ever heard is Joseph Grado signature XTZ model from the 80s, the price was $750 back in the days. I've managed to find NOS sample in the original box. This is a very special cartridge from Joseph Grado himself (RIP).  

Thanks Chakster, yes I had seen that before. What a great story of a family business producing headphones and cartridges that compete with the likes of sennheiser.

@glennewdick

If your just starting out I would not start by opening your pre-amp and taking a soldering iron to it (sorry chakster).

The preamp is already torn down. I am in the middle of cleaning, inspecting, and replacing any bad caps. The SP-4 has 2, actually, it has 3 phono inputs, 2 MM and 1 optional MC
I think what chakster is trying to say is, on a budget and just starting out optimize/play with what you have, keep the money to a minimum. Who knows I may hate the sound and never use it.

Get rid of that SP4! A bad sounding SS preamp - and an embarrassment for ARC! Get an SP6 instead - all tube and still a contender against today's multi-kilobuck preamps! I OWN one - a TRUE classic from the Bill Johnson era!