Have you considered replacing the tubes in your Sonic Frontiers SFL1 tube pre? The cartridge is important, but don't overlook the phono pre-amp. You've got a good one, but the tubes do need replacing at intervals.
About 16 years ago I traded in my Threshold FET-9 pre-amp w/phono stage when I bought a Krell KRC-3 pre-amp and KSA-50S power amp. I made the trade late Saturday afternoon, so the dealer told me to bring the Threshold in on Monday.
I went home and hooked the Krell pieces up and used the Threshold pre-amp ($3,000) as my phono pre-amp. I had the 'top-of-the-line' Dual turntable ($450.00) with a Blue Point cartridge ($125.00). On the CD side, I had a Theta Data Basic transport ($1,800.00) and a Theta Gen. III DAC ($3,300.00) with a MIT Digital Reference cable ($325.00) and Balanced Magnan Type Vi interconnects ($900.00).
Comparing the same albums against the CDs, the cheaper little analog system blew away the much more expensive digital system. Later I bought a Rotel phono pre-amp that didn't even do the turntable justice.
I don't mean anything bad by this next statement, so please understand what I'm trying to say. It may be that your system, pre-amp and/or amp, aren't yet at the level of being able to resolve the difference between the analog and digital. I'm 52 and my system has been between $20k-$30k since the late 1980's or early 1990's, and I don't remember how well my system before then sounded.
About 16 years ago I traded in my Threshold FET-9 pre-amp w/phono stage when I bought a Krell KRC-3 pre-amp and KSA-50S power amp. I made the trade late Saturday afternoon, so the dealer told me to bring the Threshold in on Monday.
I went home and hooked the Krell pieces up and used the Threshold pre-amp ($3,000) as my phono pre-amp. I had the 'top-of-the-line' Dual turntable ($450.00) with a Blue Point cartridge ($125.00). On the CD side, I had a Theta Data Basic transport ($1,800.00) and a Theta Gen. III DAC ($3,300.00) with a MIT Digital Reference cable ($325.00) and Balanced Magnan Type Vi interconnects ($900.00).
Comparing the same albums against the CDs, the cheaper little analog system blew away the much more expensive digital system. Later I bought a Rotel phono pre-amp that didn't even do the turntable justice.
I don't mean anything bad by this next statement, so please understand what I'm trying to say. It may be that your system, pre-amp and/or amp, aren't yet at the level of being able to resolve the difference between the analog and digital. I'm 52 and my system has been between $20k-$30k since the late 1980's or early 1990's, and I don't remember how well my system before then sounded.