Buying a new TT today

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!

Hello,
A lot of turntables come with OK carts. I agree with an upgrade on the cart to maybe blue or black Ortofon. But you have to decide can you afford to godown
the rabbit hole or should you buy what you want. First, sell your TT with the original cart. Take the money and the 2k and buy something that sounds better.  So many people have spent a lot of money trying to turn their Honda Civic into a Porsche. Just save up for the Porsche and sell the Civic when you get enough money. VPI is really good and so is Rega. Rega’s can be picky on some models due to hum from the motor once the cart gets close. Buy the Rega P6 with the MC cart so you have great sound and no hum. Best bang for your buck right now. When you are ready to upgrade you will sell the P6 quickly due to its great value. 

264win,

With a budget of $2K, you don't really have to choose between upgrading your TT or cartridge - you can have BOTH! I don't have as much experience as others on this group, but here's my experience.

I have a Rega P3; I loved it when I got it, with a Rega Elys 2. When I upgraded to a Dynavector 10X5, the improvement was not subtle!  I've had this  combination for years, and still enjoy it.  Since it's a high-output Moving Coil, it'll work with your Integrated amp.

I think the combination will fit nicely into your budget, and the Rega is scalable enough that it'll support you well when/if you later decide to upgrade your cartridge (though beware, that way madness lies :-)

If you have money left over after trading in your existing TT/Cartridge, you could look at upgrading to a standalone Phone Preamp. I have the Project Tube Box . Again, the improvement was dramatic, not subtle!

Enjoy your quest!