Should I get a new cart, TT or phono stage?


At some point i want to replace all three but I'm wondering what will make the biggest improvement first.

I have an old Denon DP-45F with a recently purchased Ortofon 2M Red going into a Pro-Ject Phono Box II which then goes into a Simaudio i1 integrated.

What would you upgrade first. Some things i was thinking of were a Rega P3, Clearaudio Emotion, Simaudio LP3 or used LP 5.3, or a ortofon 2M Black.

If I made any upgrade i would likely be stuck with the remaining components for some time before I made the next upgrade.
Thanks
djn04
I agree with Audiofeil and Buconero117: Keep the Denon. A sub $1K belt drive TT would be a lateral move at best. I recommend:

--Spend a little money on isolation--maybe platform the turntable on a butcher block cutting board with Vibrapods or gel pads under the cutting board

--Maybe try another turntable mat--perhaps a Herbie's Way Excellent in the same thickness as the Denon mat

--Upgrade your cartridge by replacing the Red stylus with a Blue. It's a little cheaper than buying a whole new cartridge. There's quite an improvement in transparency and detail when you go from a bonded to a nude stylus. For a bigger jump in quality (and price), go for an Audio Technica AT150MLX. They go for $300-350 if you know where to look (LPGear and audiocubes2.com).

--Spend most of your upgrade money on a better phono stage. Read up on the A-gon reviews of the ones in your price range. And in addition to the Graham Slee, look into the versatile and highly configurable Musical Surroundings Phonomena II at $600.
Keep the denon actually your system looks good 2 me unless u go hi hi-end the marginal uprades not worth it table is from denons best era imho
I agree with Swampwalker and Phasecorrect - your system looks OK and you would have to spend a bit to make a large improvement. But you should check to see if everthng is setup correctly. First, check your cables. Then, check that you are using the correct cartridge setting on the back of your Phono Box II - it should be set to MM. Then check your TT setup (cartridge, turntable isolation or coupling, etc).

My rule is (and some might disagee with me) that all else being equal (meaning no setup or mechanical issues), your biggest improvements in sound will come from the "outside" in. For analog, that means that biggest changes in sound quality will come from improving cartridge/arm first (they must be considered together), then TT deck, then the phono stage, then preamp, then power amp; with diminishing improvements in overall sound quality as you go down the list. As with all rules there are exceptions, and YMMV.
Thanks everyone for the advice. I had no idea the Denon was that well regarded.

One thought I had was to replace the stylus on the 2m red. I read somewhere that all 2m have the same body. Is that true? If so could I put a 2m black stylus into my 2m red body?

I think I'll upgrade the phono pre first and go from there.
I would replace the Phono stage first
this unit is the most important in analog Playback