Cartridge or cable upgrade

You all rock. Thank you for all the advice and guidance. Some further questions:

1. How thick a mat should I get if I go the Herbie Mat route?

2. Yes, the table is probably the weaker link in the system, but at this stage I'm not sure how invested I want to get in the analog side of things. However, if I do pursue it, what's a good table that would be a step up from the 5.1? Figure ~$1000 used.

"Yes, the table is probably the weaker link in the system, but at this stage I'm not sure how invested I want to get in the analog side of things."

Your TT is more than adequate to get you started in vinyl. You'll see that upgrading is very different for digital and analog. With digital, you upgrade to something better sounding, but after that, you feel the need to upgrade again. And again after that. With vinyl, you can think of upgrades and improvements, but are not so compelled to do them like digital. Its much easier to enjoy what you currently have, even though there are improvements to be had.

Excellent advice, Zd. I've never really been unhappy with my table and researched a bunch of them heavily before deciding on the Pro-ject. One dealer clicked his tongue, shook his head, and insisted that I HAD to buy one of his Well Tempered tt's if I wanted to get ANY fidelity in the analog world, but the $1300 was out of my reach, especially sans cartridge.

That's kind of why I wanted to change the small things - cables, low-priced cartridges, even a heavier platter?

You got it all wrong, your TT is NOT your weakest link, your cart IS!
Second weakest link, your cables.
Third, your phono pre.
Fourth, your TT.
Everything else (mat, clamp, isolation, etc.) is really trial and error!

"09-12-14: Kiko65
You got it all wrong, your TT is NOT your weakest link, your cart IS!
Second weakest link, your cables.
Third, your phono pre.
Fourth, your TT.
Everything else (mat, clamp, isolation, etc.) is really trial and error!"

How do you know that?