Basic rule of thumb in audio: any information lost at the source (turntable in your case) cannot be retrieved or "improved" upon further down the line. Iow, your turntable, as czarivey is saying, is doing a good job since your digital transfers sound good.
It is is not clear from your posts whether you are playing back your transfers on your main system or on the vintage system. Assuming that it is on your main (better) system, that is the reason that the transfers sound better...it is a better system which is allowing the "details and clarity" in your transfers to be heard; as opposed to your vintage system which is not allowing it. In fact, everything else being equal, direct playback of your lp’s should sound even better than your digital transfers.
What I would do first is, since you DO have a phono stage presently (built into your Yamaha amp), is connect your Yamaha amplifier to your main system via its "TAPE OUT" connections to the amplifier in your main system and see what LP playback sounds like. I would bet that then having taken the possibly inferior line stage in the Yamaha and the presumably inferior speakers in your vintage system out of the playback chain you will get a much better sense of what your turntable is capable of. I have a feeling you will be surprised at how good it sounds. In short, YES your tt is capable of good sound; otherwise your transfers would not sound good. Don’t worry about type of cartridge yet and first make sure, as czarivey suggests, that the stylus is in good shape. Your original post suggests that it is probably fairly new. Keep us posted and good luck.
It is is not clear from your posts whether you are playing back your transfers on your main system or on the vintage system. Assuming that it is on your main (better) system, that is the reason that the transfers sound better...it is a better system which is allowing the "details and clarity" in your transfers to be heard; as opposed to your vintage system which is not allowing it. In fact, everything else being equal, direct playback of your lp’s should sound even better than your digital transfers.
What I would do first is, since you DO have a phono stage presently (built into your Yamaha amp), is connect your Yamaha amplifier to your main system via its "TAPE OUT" connections to the amplifier in your main system and see what LP playback sounds like. I would bet that then having taken the possibly inferior line stage in the Yamaha and the presumably inferior speakers in your vintage system out of the playback chain you will get a much better sense of what your turntable is capable of. I have a feeling you will be surprised at how good it sounds. In short, YES your tt is capable of good sound; otherwise your transfers would not sound good. Don’t worry about type of cartridge yet and first make sure, as czarivey suggests, that the stylus is in good shape. Your original post suggests that it is probably fairly new. Keep us posted and good luck.