Fluance RT85 with Ortofon Blue
@cpdkee
The Ortofon BLUE is the weakest part in your system.
Everything starts from the cartridge in analog setup, this cartridge is too bad, the stylus tip is elliptical, this is very close to the Red (the cheapest model).
I am going to upgrade the Rogue and enjoy for a while. Looks like speakers or a better integrated will be the future debate.
Why do you think your MM phono stage is not good ?
All you have to do is to change a cartridge, nothing else in your system.
This is where you can get the biggest upgrade for the lowest possible cost. You can’t buy a phono stage for $500-700 but you can buy superb cartridge for $500-700.
If you will start from the phono stage you will not get there, just a waste of money until you don’t have a proper cartridge with advanced stylus profile and better cantilever. Read about stylus profile
here.
Speakers - yes, very important, but even with the best speakers you need a great cartridge first, because the signal path starts from the vinyl groove and only a stylus can pick up the signal right.
You can completely change the whole sound of your analog system spending $500-700 on a cartridge. There is no other component in analog chain that will give you this for the same amount.
And i want to remind you that a life span of your elliptical stylus is pretty short and soon you will have to change it anyway and the price just for the stylus will be high. You’d better invest in a cartridge with the greatest profile like Shibata, LineContact, MicroLine, Stereohedron, MicroRidge that you can use for a much longer time.