E,
The fact you heard such drastic differences between cartridges speaks volumes for the quality of your phono stage. It seems to me, having heard the possibilities, you've contracted "upgraditis", even though you're enjoying your system! Phono stages depend largely on power supplies, and Classe are masters of power supply design, which is very expensive. Most outboard phono stages use "wall-warts" and would likely not beat the one you have. The ones that will, cost quite a bit, though some, like the reasonably-priced new Grado and the new Dynavector, might (that's might). Probably the only way to get the info you want is to call them personally and ask them personally how they rate the phono stage. Otherwise, you're on the long and never-ending road to an expensive system: start with the record-player first, unless you want more bass and more detail, in which case start with your speakers. Good Luck.
The fact you heard such drastic differences between cartridges speaks volumes for the quality of your phono stage. It seems to me, having heard the possibilities, you've contracted "upgraditis", even though you're enjoying your system! Phono stages depend largely on power supplies, and Classe are masters of power supply design, which is very expensive. Most outboard phono stages use "wall-warts" and would likely not beat the one you have. The ones that will, cost quite a bit, though some, like the reasonably-priced new Grado and the new Dynavector, might (that's might). Probably the only way to get the info you want is to call them personally and ask them personally how they rate the phono stage. Otherwise, you're on the long and never-ending road to an expensive system: start with the record-player first, unless you want more bass and more detail, in which case start with your speakers. Good Luck.