Help me pick a phono, pre and cart


Hi all,
My WF spending restraints are going away so I’m going to upgrade my system.
I primarily play CD, but also have an MMF-5 with Glass platter, Golding GX1022 cart going through a Clear Audio Nano to Ayre Ax-7e to Sig 2 Ce’s.

This year I’m going to Quatro CT’s and upgrading my vinyl pre and source side. Next year I’m upgrading my main pre and power amp.

I’m looking for help in picking a phono player pre and cart. My musical taste is pretty wide: female vocals, rock, blues, jazz; not much classical on vinyl. Think Amy Winehouse/Cold Specks/Pixies/Weezer/Jeff Beck/Johnny Winter/Winton Marsalis and Maynard Ferguson for you other old timers. LOL
My budget is about $8-10k

Right now my main thoughts are VPI Prime Scout or Prime with Grado Statement series cart, and an Ayre Px-5e pre.
In addition to specific item recommendations, I’m very interested in how to split the budget item wise. In other words more or less on player vs cart vs pre, I.e. Scout with Statement2 or Prime with Reference2 for example. Or go higher than 20-30% on the pre?
I lean towards spending the most on what’s least upgradeable - sorry if that’s too general or obvious.
Thanks much
Jim

jetson
Folks, Raul is a digital aficionado. He’s not into vinyl so much as he appears to be into trolling.

You will all note that he did not deny my assertion- although he *said* he had heard our preamp, he does not deny that he *didn’t* when I called him on it, instead making an unrelated argument (a logical fallacy argument technique known as a Strawman; by definition such an argument is false...).

With regards to bass and highs, tubes can go from DC to many MHz (our preamp amps have full power bandwidth from 1Hz to 100KHz, with bandwidth intentionally limited to prevent damage to tweeters from RFI). Old school analog color TVs had to have DC to 10MHz bandwidth in their chroma amplifiers (which were for the red, green, and blue signals of the old analog color broadcast system), and that was done with tubes, some of which are in use in audio circuits today. Neither are there any solid state phono sections with response to DC; nor does the RIAA spec past 20KHz; so many phono sections, solid state included, don’t have serious bandwidth past about 50KHz or so; raul’s bandwidth comments appear uninformed.

Raul’s comments can thus be safely ignored, especially since he seems to have taken an apocryphal stance purely for trolling purposes.

Thanks- Any suggestion on playter pad upgrade?
@jetson I like the Oracle platter pad a lot. To use it properly, it is pretty well permanently stuck to the platter, so you will want to make sure the platter's bolts that secure it to the motor are not in place.



atmasphere"Raul is a digital aficionado. He’s not into vinyl so much as he appears to be into trolling."

Raul is more like an "audio not know" than an "aficionado."
I was into tubes for some time, now even more happy without them. 
First Watt gear is excellent, i am happy that i replaced my expensive (nearly $3k) tube amp with First Watt F2J and First Watt B1 preamp. 

I think Raul is right about the tubes, i must confess.
Been into rare vintage NOS tubes and new tubes. First Watt F2J killing it with details, resolution, sound stage! 

I believe there must be a very nice tube amps, but it's a pain in the ass as the life of the tube is short and if the amp contails too many of them it's not the best idea (practically). 

Everyone should check and read more about First Watt products, even tube lovers. My advice is to audition them to compare to your tube amp. 

P.S. I do not listen to digital at all, vinyl only.  
@chakster Just a FWIW: we get about 10,000 hours out of our power tubes and warranty all the tubes in our gear for a year.
This thread is about phono gear however, not power amps.