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Upgrade: Turntable or Cartridge?

I currently own an early generation of the Clearaudio Emotion turntable (no CMB, spiked feet, aluminum Satisfy tonearm). My cartridge is a Grado Sonata1 (new version) Reference (High Output). I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade the turntable or the cartridge, and between the two, which would provide the greatest benefit. My phono stage is the PS Audio GCPH, which I've found to perform pretty darn well, and don't think I need to upgrade that at the moment.

I do feel that the Emotion turntable could still handle a cart a good deal more expensive than the Sonata1. To my ears, the table is extremely quiet, with fairly decent speed stability. There are a few convenience things that are annoying, such as the decoupled motor which always ends up sitting against the table and needs to be moved. The location of the switch to turn the power on, and also the exposed belt can get annoying. However, I'm still willing to live with those things if upgrading the cartridge will provide much benefit. In the end, I'm in this for the sound, not the convenience, otherwise I wouldn't have a turntable.

For cartridges, I was considering quite a range: Shelter 501 Mk II, Benz Ace or Glider, Clearaudio Concept MC, Ortofon 2M Black, Dynavector 20X2 or Karat, etc. I'd like to try out a decent MC for once, if I do choose to upgrade the cart. I've had trouble getting rid of inner grove distortion with the Sonata1 and Satisfy tonearm, even after very careful alignment. Maybe they aren't a perfect match?

Any ideas here?

Thanks
jwglista

Showing 4 responses by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
+1 to Lewm's comment.

Nothing in your post suggests any reason to upgrade. The gear you have isn't broken or worn out, but your description certainly makes it seem like it's imperfectly set up. Learn how to optimize what you have before succumbing to the upgrade bug. (N.B., optimizing ANY setup may require thinking outside the box by ignoring or supplementing instructions provided by the manufacturer.)

Throwing money at gear without using it effectively seems like a path to frustration, not to mention financial ruin. If you want to pour money down a bottomless hole, buy a boat! ;-)
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Jwglista,

If the motor is moving because of a side-mounted on/off switch, which I agree is a poor design choice, try holding the motor down firmly with one hand while operating the switch with the other. Simple fixes for simple problems. :-)

If the motor *still* ends up touching the plinth despite this extra care, odds are the belt tension is pulling it there. A fix might involve any or all of:
- a less slippery surface beneath the motor feet
- less slippery motor feet
- lower tension on the belt
Each of these is likely to have audible effects too, but you must do something to prevent motor vibrations from transferring directly to the plinth and thence into the tonearm and cartridge. That's a guarantee of sonic mud and an excessively high sound floor.

As Manitunc stated, few if any vinyl rigs are set-and-forget devices. Their "convenience" resides mostly in a ready response to incessant tweaking!

Good luck and keep at it!
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
In fact, that is what I normally do, but at times I get a bit lazy and try to turn it off with one hand.
Lazy moments are for CD's! There are no shortcuts to good analog reproduction. In fact, the more capable the system, the more care the user must take. My vinyl rig retails for about $18K but I still have to pay attention when I turn the motor on. If I move it by mistake it can take 30 minutes of fussing to re-position it correctly (I use a non-elastic drive belt, so there's zero margin for error).

However, putting something like a rubber mat or tape underneath may allow turning the motor off with one hand, and even further isolate vibrations coming from the motor.
Depending on the system, it may also slur transients and dull dynamic response. The more revealing and accurate the rig, the less tolerant it will be of elasticity *anywhere* in its mechanical connections. Putting rubber feet or even a single thickness of Scotch tape beneath my TT motor turns a vibrant and hugely dynamic table into a sludge. By all means try it, but keep an open mind about the effects you hear.

P.S. Your new cart sounds like a huge step up. (I'm not surprised, most Grados are better at smoothing things over than reproducing lifelike music). Enjoy the journey!

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
P.S. Try some (metal or wood) spike cups beneath your motor spikes. This may increase friction between motor and platform, reducing its tendency to slide, without adding elasticity.

To keep the belt at the same height on the platter you'd have to raise your TT by the same amount. Don't know if that's important on the Emotion, or feasible if so... just something to consider.
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