Help me pick a phono, pre and cart

Not much. I would replace the platter pad, and if you want state of the art, the tone arm too (I use the Triplanar). Otherwise the ’table benefits from break in time and so seems to get better the more its used.

I’ve yet to hear a tube phono better solid state myself.

I have.

A lot depends on what you regard as important- IOW what’s ’better’. A lot of solid state guys cite noise as their number one concern, but once the noise floor is below that of the surface noise of the LP, the ear’s masking principle sees to it that you don’t hear it. But that might still be below -75db and that is doable with tubes. So that issue does not concern me- I don’t care if you lift the needle and can’t hear the phono noise unless you put your ear to the speaker drivers- when I’m listening to my stereo, the needle is on the record, not off of it :) To me its the musical presentation that counts.

The main thing for me is what distracts me from the music, and I think ticks and pops probably bother me most, followed closely by colorations, in particular, brightness. Both are easier to solve with tubes than solid state, so I find that a good tube phono section is easily better in this regard than most solid state; there are rare exceptions if the solid state designer was cognizant of the fact that the phono section contributes to ticks and pops if it has design flaws.

SOOOO many suggestions.......   the only way to please yourself is to listen to this stuff and experience the result.  In New Jersey, go to AudioConnection and spend some time with John Rutan.

Dear @professorsvsu:  """  But there's a reason some prefer the Mona Lisa over a photo from a smart phone. One represents soul and character while the other is an accurate digital representation.................................

makes music a dynamic, emotional experience - it's soul. All too often solid state equipment can measure up with specifications, but can't quite get it when it comes to putting a smile on your face or a tear in your eye """

As poetry, painting or sculpture MUSIC wake up different kind of human been emotions/feelings no matters that you or me listen it through an old Walkman device. 
The soul in MUSIC is something intrinsec to it and tubes or solid state audio items are totally out of that " soul ". Try to say that tubes has soul and SS did not is only a big misunderstood about.

Now we can read several bordering " stupid "  statements like:

"""  ss designs that sound harsh .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 in particular, brightness. so I find that a good tube phono section is easily better in this regard than most solid state;   """""

I think that statements like those are made by people that just did/do not attend to live events to often to listen at near field MUSIC.

I say that because when any one of us attends to listen live music at near field ( seat/position. )  either listen it to a  single instrument ( violin, horn, piano, battery,... ) or a small group or a big orchestra we are hearing precesisily some of those " forbidden " characteristics as: harsh, brigthness, aggresive, dynamic, powerful, rythm, tigth, definition, shinny, and the like that only live MUSIC has and SS is the only way to listen it at a home audio system.

Did you listened at normal SPL excecution a horn player playing at 2 m. from you or a piano or a violin or a cymbals or a drum or an arp or a triangle? if not then you have to is a must to understand where is the MUSIC.

Words as smoothness, ligth, musical, organic and the like does not exist in live music or SS only in through the fully degraded tube colorations.

 The same " color tube " you reffered in what you posted:

"""    and do tubes "color" sound? Yes and yes. """

A good SS designs puts you and puts all of us nearer and truer to the recording where the recording microphones where at near field position ( exactly as I explained when we are listening and seated at near field  in a live event. ). So why we want to hear something different on what's in the recording?  why can we like all that colored and degraded and full of everykind of distortions through tubes?  when live MUSIC is way different.

Many of you think and say are music lovers, truly? because through your posts almost all of you are showing something contrary to been " music lovers . That you like more to live " in and with the deceive only speaks about your AHEE training where SS and MUSIC were not part of that training.

If you don't like what you listen through SS audio systems then you don't like MUSIC or just are unaware of how live MUSIC sounds and I can tell you that sounds just glorious and way different of what you listen in your beloved home audio system.

As I said: tubes can't do it, period no matter what.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC REAL MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@atmasphere  Thanks- Any suggestion on playter pad upgrade?

@stringreen I was just at John Rutan’s a couple of weeks ago, listening to the new Ayre EX-8 integrated.
As far as TT’s go, he carries VPI, and Clear Audio, which is the reason I was considering a Prime TT. It seems difficult to find places where I can audition A/B comparisons on turntables. Never mind cartridges. 

I actually like the idea of getting an older Technics or Garrard, but the realistic vs idealistic debate inside my brain leaves me leaning towards a new TT, set-up, calibrated, and delivered set up and ready to go.  

@rauliruegas I’m certain you have an expert opinion to debate with others, yet at this point the debate of SS vs Tube phono pre-amps is irrelevant to my decision. I’d appreciate it if you’d take the discussion to a different thread or engage privately with those that wish to debate the point. Thanks 
Jim