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Thinking of an upgrade for my turntable system?

I recently acquired about 200 bucks to spend and I want to spend at least some of it on getting an upgrade.

My current system:
Denon DP-300F with Built in Pre-Amp
Shure M97XE cartridge
NAD C315BEE integrated amplifier
Wharfedale Evo-8 speakers (bookshelf)

which part of my system should I upgrade? I'm planning on buying something off Needledoctor. My budget is 200 dollars, but I'd rather not use all of it, and I'm also iffy about buying vintage.

thanks!
toxicwaterfront
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
well with $200 you can't upgrade to better turntable amp or speakers; less-likely you'll benefit even from the outboard phono preamp if you have such option to bypass built-in; your cartridge isn't bad for your rig either.
The only options you have is wait to double the amount at least or buy more music.
tbromgard
814 posts
 
Try the Ortofon 2M Red for $99. A great deal on a musical cartridge. You might also consider upgrading your phono stage, perhaps a used NAD pp1 or pp2?
hotmailjbc
571 posts
 
roomtunes makes some "pillow" type roomtreatments that can be secured with stickpins. i use the corner pillows. without them my room is so boomy it is unlisteneable in here. also as an idea, do you have good isolation under your turntable?
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
Buy the best source material you can find. That will make more difference than anything else considering your budget...

-RW-
chayro
3,001 posts
 
What about a decent pair of headphones? The Denon AH-d1100 are $200. Denons sound very good and are easy to drive. Stay away from Beats and Bose and all that noise-cancelling crap. They are for planes and subways, not serious listening. Grados are cool, but they are open back, which mean you need a quiet room, just like with speakers.
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