Really excellent guidance from everyone above.
I too question the dealer's knowledge. Your Eroica had plenty of output for any phono stage. Further, as Raul noted, the Ortofon's 8mv could actually cause input overload with some phono stages. That could explain the distortions you're hearing. So, however, could any of the other factors already noted, or any combination of several of them. Vinyl playback is not simple, it's just fun!
Emorrisiv's advice was spot on: you're approaching a level of equipment and appreciation where you and your music will benefit from learning to do these things yourself.
Sadly, the number of dealers who understand how to get the most from a vinyl rig is small and shrinking, because there's just no longer a market for it. Happily, many real experts are regular contributors to forums like this one. This makes learning and doing it yourself possible, and rewarding to many who take the plunge.
I too question the dealer's knowledge. Your Eroica had plenty of output for any phono stage. Further, as Raul noted, the Ortofon's 8mv could actually cause input overload with some phono stages. That could explain the distortions you're hearing. So, however, could any of the other factors already noted, or any combination of several of them. Vinyl playback is not simple, it's just fun!
Emorrisiv's advice was spot on: you're approaching a level of equipment and appreciation where you and your music will benefit from learning to do these things yourself.
Sadly, the number of dealers who understand how to get the most from a vinyl rig is small and shrinking, because there's just no longer a market for it. Happily, many real experts are regular contributors to forums like this one. This makes learning and doing it yourself possible, and rewarding to many who take the plunge.