Analogue front end. You want more weight, scale and dynamics.Where do you start upgrading?


Is it the table, arm or cartridge, or perhaps phono stage? Assuming you have no clear weak links. Maybe even motor controller ?

inna

@inna 

 

Your question is about broad brushed as they can get. Lewm provided a great response as only you can ascertain where to start to improve a system that already has equally efficient sound characteristics across the spectrum of hardware. That being said, you can experiment with any of the variables you listed above and see if you notice any profound changes to your liking. Swapping out any of the equipment for a less costly or a more extreme cost alternative “may” net some changes that could be to your liking.
 

If you currently have good synergy, leave well enough alone…well, in this hobby it is hard not to. Therefore, pick any one of the criteria you feel comfortable exploring and change as needed. If your phono stage is tube based, you can alter the flavor, or dynamic expression of the sound by simply swapping tubes. If it was me, I would start there first, especially if you are overall satisfied with the sound of the system.
 

Cartridges are all over the spectrum in terms of price, quality, and sound characteristics. There are so many lower priced cartridges that play great and can go head to head with much higher priced cartridges that you can spend endless time and money experimenting. What stands out in cartridges is the way they convey the expression of music in conjunction with the totality, I.e.,  combination of the system components. Some may like the sound expression of a lower priced cartridge that exhibits a narrower playing field alluding to a comfortable small club setting, while others might yearn for a cartridge that has wider separation yielding a much larger space. Cartridges can be more robust in the mids and/or highs. Some prefer that, perhaps due to hearing loss, or desire to hear infinite details. Others, may want to just have a mild and mellow listening session without the fuss of all the details exploding around them possibly distracting from hearing the essence of the music. Too many variables to discuss here. If you look at any previous posts, you can locate lots of user experiences of the types of hardware you mentioned. 

So much depends on getting the parts to work together to achieve the whole that you want.  Lewm is correct that it is a personal trial process.  I don't think you can do a whole lot to add weight, scale and dynamics by choices made with source components; that is mainly a product of room acoustics, choice of speaker and then choice of amplifier that is compatible with the speaker choice (ultimately, I find very large horn systems with low-powered tube amps are best at what you are prioritizing).

But, of course, the right choice of source components can help, or at least not detract, from what you are after.  I would look first at the choice of cartridge.  With the passing of Koetsu, it is a bit harder to find cartridges with an extraordinary sense of weight and scale that still have decent dynamics.  But, assuming you find that, it is critical to find a compatible tonearm.  With the Koetsu, that arm turned out to be one that is of somewhat higher mass than typical arms.  Compatible arm/cartridge is a big deal for what you are after.

Generalities about turntable types are hard to make because it is somewhat hard to reliably characterize the sound of different types, and tables differ in performance based on such external factors as the support they are on, how much the table is being relied upon to provide isolation from the environment (e.g., footfall problems), etc.  

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't weight, scale and dynamics all part of the phono-pre, pre-amp and power amp? Do your other sources give you the sound you are looking for?

On my system, all the sources sound about the same, in a blind test not sure I could 100% tell the different sources apart.

Looked up that suggested cable, it's $3k, it better make a huge difference, it cost more than my entire TT.  IMHO, cables are a tweak, not a drastic shift like chaining components.

To get what you are looking for, would it not be only better spent, getting a new phono-pre, cartridge, or even a EQ to put in the chain? 

Big +1’s to @lewm and ​​​​@tomic601 here. Throwing more and more money to "upgrade" into increasingly exotic components isn’t the panacea you think it is.

No, the source contributes greatly, mswale.

As an example, if I replace my Nottingham Spacedeck with Nottingham Dais or Anna Log, or even with one step up Hyperspace, besides possibly other improvements I will get more of what we are talking about. With everything else remaining the same.

You start with basic things, and that is turntable itself, not an arm, not a cartridge, not a phono stage. Turntable and electricity.

As for preamp/amp and speakers, that’s another subject.