Buying a new TT today

VPI Scout Prime - You can score a 'demo' or 'blem' for $2,000. From there you are into a system like a camera with interchangeable lenses: you can keep it basic or upgrade over time. Motor, platter, arm mount, arm tube,cabling, even the plinth. That kind of investment protection is something no other table can claim.

Look, for $2,000, any table you look at is going to be pretty damn good. But they are all mostly dead ends except the VPI. 

And as others have suggested, throw a Blue Stylus on your Ortofon, and listen to what it is capable of - which is quite a bit, actually - while your bank account recharges, then step into MC cartridge land. In my nearly 50 years in the hobby, there have never been so many excellent MCs available, and so reasonably priced - under $1,000, even under $500.

Ortofon, Audio Technica, Dynavector, and Sumiko aren't exactly slouches in this area, but the buzz is all over Hana, and they are available in low and high output versions (as are some Sumiko and Dynavector), making the MC preamp and another set of interconnects 'barrier to entry' optional. If you are listening to mostly vintage vinyl, the EH (elliptical) is the easiest to setup and live with.  If you are more into the Music Direct re-release catalog, then consider the $750 SH (Shibata) or $1200 MH (Microline). 

melm4

For analog reproduction the turntable is the most important purchase.

Is it? If you seek the best analog playback, many suggest you can only to that with tape.

Upgraditis - I like it - never heard that before....very appropriate for this entire site. When your system is evenly matched and sounds great, enjoy it and spend your money on well pressed/mastered records.

Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds are the best I've used. Any other suggestions????

I view the analogue rig the most important, and spent roughly 52% of my out of pocket net on that (table-arm(new)/cartridge (used)/phonostage (used)), 18% on speakers (closeout), 17% on integrated amp (used) and 14% on cables(new)/power conditioner (used). If you lose the quality in the source, it can only go downhill from there.   

When it comes to new retail value, the numbers are quite different: analogue rig -43%, speakers - 19%, amp - 24%, cables/conditioner - 13%. I know I am OCD/anal. 

Gold Note out of Italy, love my Mediterraneao. 

I’m going to give you two responses, one involving upgrades and one involving a new setup, because I’ve done the first and considered the second. The Debut Carbon/ Ortofon 2M Red is a good deal. I assume you have a DC model TT and don’t have hum or motor vibration problems. If you want to buy some time to research a new TT, get an acrylic platter for the Debut and an Ortofon 2M Blue or Grado Timbre Opus 3. I found the acrylic platter was a big improvement. Ignore the folks who dis the 2M Red. It’s a very nice cart, and if you like it you’ll like the Blue. I got the low-output version of the Grado when I got a new phono preamp and the Ortofon’s 5.5mV signal could overload it. The Grado also fits the Debut well and won’t require VTA adjustment, which the Debut’s tonearm doesn’t allow. That kind of rules out MC carts right there. As far as new, I’ll just say to commit to spend all your budget or more. Don’t scrimp now. It costs a lot to really step up a TT setup. Take your time to listen to different carts for sure. Finally, consider a separate phono preamp. I built a Pass Pearl 2 and there’s a good chance there’s more to be had from your TT setup than your amp’s phono stage is capturing. No substitute for listening here, and lucky you that you’ve got two dealers available. Good luck!