Analog Upgrade - Where to start?

Dear @rauliruegas, you have a strong positive opinion about the Stellar, which I assume is based on personal experience? I don’t know about you, but I have learned not to trust reviewers at face value. But reading between the lines of these reviews the Stellar appears to be something special, I’ll give ’em that. I haven’t heard it myself, so don’t have an opinion. I only suggested that lack of synergy with the line stage might be a possible reason for the OP’s discontent. Which is why it would be interesting to learn what phono amp it replaced.

Do you listened the XV-1t against today top cartridges in a good room/system?

I did and have first hand experiences as I posted about and this is the real issue here.

THE CARTRIDGE IS THE SOURCE and I can see that you don’t get it yet and maybe you don’t know how performs the OP 1t cartridge.

Forgeret about the phono stage and read what I said about transducers : HAVE THE DOMINANT/LEADER ROLES in any audio system. Period.

R.

Btw, the measurements in the Stellar unit confirm its very high quality design, these measurements are fact and please don’t tell me thattoday measurements don’t tell nothing of the item overall performance because if you still think in that way then I can tell you that have a today misunderstood. Measurements confirm too the quality design levelof the Reference 6 that for a tube unit is really good.

@rauliruegas you really don't have to SHOUT, I'm well aware the cartridge is the source. I have over 30 of them. But system synergy involves more than simply choosing the 'best' cartridge you can afford.

If the OP is convinced by your suggestions he will be replacing a Dynavector XV-1S - still a current model that retails for 5k - by a Colibri or other high level MC, probably costing >5k. I really hope this will get him what he's looking for, but I wouldn't bet on it.

I am not sure it will help the discussion much but the PS Audio Stellar Phono stage replaced a Tom Evans The Groove (from 2003).  I was happy enough with the Tom Evans though there are certainly much better phono stages mentioned by members on this thread. The reason for making the change is that the Tom Evans met an untimely end at the hands of a young family member.

As you see, us audiophiles don’t have very strong opinions on this stuff lol. From here, the only way to add clarity to your particular situation will be to try something. Maybe you’ll fall into the camp of Raul and friends, who like clean SS phono stages and fast, clean, neutral, does-everything-well cartridges like Ortofon A90 or Van Den Hul Colibri - it’s very fine sounding gear; nothing wrong with that! Or maybe you’ll swoon to fat sounding tube phono stages, full bodied SUTs, and cartridges with softer-sounding-than-neodymium magnets e.g. Koetsu (as I do, most of the time). Or maybe you’ll have the most fun mixing and match from both sides! Only you can answer now.

I think everyone’s impressed by your table & arms, so at least that hasn’t come under the gun (yet), lol. And personally I’d love to try a Dynavector XV-1s (alnico magnets, etc). I’ll be shocked if that ends up being the weak link, unless it’s worn.