Once again, I really appreciate everyone's advice and insight. This forum is an incredible resource. My motto is never to be the smartest guy in the room and with this forum that is never a concern for me.
I ultimately connected with Kat at Upscale Audio and I can't say enough about the experience. She educated me and never tried to sell me. (I had the same experience with Dave Lalin at the Audio Doctor when I bought the Lumin T2 streamer and Innuos server. I am extremely happy with those choices and with Dave's advice and counsel.) Anyway Kat and Upscale were very patient and helpful and made the entire experience a pleasure. Here is what I ultimately chose:
Dr. Feikert Volare
Jelco TK-850S Tonearm
Delos Lyra MC Cartridge
Pro Ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage
This was significantly more than my budget but after a lot of research I wanted to make a pretty significant leap and realized each dollar spent doesn't necessarily achieve a dollar of upgrade (anyway that's what I told myself!). Unfortunately due to some sheetrock work being done in my listening room I haven't unpacked everything and set it up. I don't want to subject the new members of the family to dust and debris before I even get started. The wait is killing me but I will report back when it is up and running.
Thanks again for everyone's help.
puppyt
I ultimately connected with Kat at Upscale Audio and I can't say enough about the experience. She educated me and never tried to sell me. (I had the same experience with Dave Lalin at the Audio Doctor when I bought the Lumin T2 streamer and Innuos server. I am extremely happy with those choices and with Dave's advice and counsel.) Anyway Kat and Upscale were very patient and helpful and made the entire experience a pleasure. Here is what I ultimately chose:
Dr. Feikert Volare
Jelco TK-850S Tonearm
Delos Lyra MC Cartridge
Pro Ject Tube Box DS2 Phono Stage
This was significantly more than my budget but after a lot of research I wanted to make a pretty significant leap and realized each dollar spent doesn't necessarily achieve a dollar of upgrade (anyway that's what I told myself!). Unfortunately due to some sheetrock work being done in my listening room I haven't unpacked everything and set it up. I don't want to subject the new members of the family to dust and debris before I even get started. The wait is killing me but I will report back when it is up and running.
Thanks again for everyone's help.
puppyt