Dear Ho72: Unfortunately I don't have experience with any of the audio products you own other than your cartridge that IMHO is a good one.
+++++ " And let it be understood that I'm not really an audiophile, I just want to listen to music reproduced in a way that... *takes me there*, for lack of a better description. " +++++
no any analog rig I know is a " plug and play " rig. There are some critical factors to achieve a decent quality performance with an analog source ( cartridge. ): cartridge pin connectors perfectly clean, hedashell pin connectors prefectly clean, the best headshell wires you can afford ( Ikeda S-50 are great ones. ), " perfect cartridge set up: overhang, VTA/SRA, Azymuth and VTF; you have to " play with these last three parameters till you achieve the best performance from that cartridge, LP's with good cleaning as the cartridge stylus and now that we are talking of " cleaning " you need an electrical clean audio system supply.
In the other side almost any home audio system romm needs some kind of treatment for a better integration ( better quality sound reproduction. ) between the room and the audio system.
Here I'm talking of room treatment and speakers/sub " right/precise " position/place in that room. Many times a change in the speakers/sub position makes and help to attain better performance as happen with cartridges when we made a change on VTA/SRA/Azymuth.
The right and precise whole audio system set up is always critical to " takes me there " and who cares about always receive great rewards!!
regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
+++++ " And let it be understood that I'm not really an audiophile, I just want to listen to music reproduced in a way that... *takes me there*, for lack of a better description. " +++++
no any analog rig I know is a " plug and play " rig. There are some critical factors to achieve a decent quality performance with an analog source ( cartridge. ): cartridge pin connectors perfectly clean, hedashell pin connectors prefectly clean, the best headshell wires you can afford ( Ikeda S-50 are great ones. ), " perfect cartridge set up: overhang, VTA/SRA, Azymuth and VTF; you have to " play with these last three parameters till you achieve the best performance from that cartridge, LP's with good cleaning as the cartridge stylus and now that we are talking of " cleaning " you need an electrical clean audio system supply.
In the other side almost any home audio system romm needs some kind of treatment for a better integration ( better quality sound reproduction. ) between the room and the audio system.
Here I'm talking of room treatment and speakers/sub " right/precise " position/place in that room. Many times a change in the speakers/sub position makes and help to attain better performance as happen with cartridges when we made a change on VTA/SRA/Azymuth.
The right and precise whole audio system set up is always critical to " takes me there " and who cares about always receive great rewards!!
regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.