Thoughts About Turntable Upgrades

Do be aware that the Digital Source you have is going to be very difficult to surpass with a Vinyl Source.

Also the DAC you are using will from my experiences, substantially benefit from being seated on a Support Structure that is very suitable for a TT support. Valves in a device, be it a Source Ancillary, Pre-Amp or Power Amp, benefit from a support structure that works for the improvements in management of transferred energies. 

The E88CC Tube in the DAC, will 'if exchanged' for a late 50' - early 60's Tube produce a quite unique DAC, that will also transform into a extremely impressive performer.

I myself have gone down this same route with a DAC and Phonostage.

I have also met a few who have gone down this same route, and when discovered their preferred Valve from this era are completely sold on the exchange.

I am yet to personally meet an individual who has changed to E88CC's from said vintage, who come out of the experience believing there is another option that can better them, or wishing their earlier used Valves were reinstated. 

The additional attraction of your DAC, is that the Valve options are not limited to E88CC only.

Yeah, I snuck my wife's Linn Sondek/Basic into my system when she left town for a while to attend school, but in the main I've just had a Sota Sapphire since I left the Direct Drive World sometime in the previous century. Yeah, the Linn gave me more mid-bass punch and more "they're in my room" authority, but the Sota has always been better in taking me to "the room where the piece of music was recorded." The sound can be truly immersing!

My Sota has gone through its share of upgrades, and I had to send the thing back to the factory when its ability to maintain constant speed mysteriously went MIA. Sota dutifully repaired the thing with only a shipping charge despite the fact they suspected I'd somehow dropped the machine at one time or another.  All told, though, I really love the thing. It doesn't hurt that 45 rpm is only a push of a button away.  ...Ya outta' see my pile of old 45 singles..

Mofi Ultradeck with the optional Master Tracker cartridge.  Great reviews.

What I'd say is that if you have a truly great sounding digital front end, that it will be expensive to get your analog side sounding as good. The other side of that though is that if you take the time and make the investment your analog front end will bring you hours of enjoyment that surpass the digital. Obviously, this is my opinion.

The work that's needed is figuring out the the right components. You've chosen a fine turntable. What arm will you put on in? This and the cartridge will have as much or more effect on the sound than the table itself. Additionally, you'll need to step up the phono stage. I have a Pro-ject tube box in my second system in my mountain cabin. It's solid for a mid grade analog front end but when I went all the way I ended up spending 5k on a used tubed phono stage from Rogers High Fidelity. If you take the time and get the right pieces. You'll be extremely happy. 

I used my sense of what sounded musical to upgrade my system. Your system is a great starter system, but if you start to expose yourself to really good systems, will you be interested in improving your system? If so, do you want to split your money between the digital and analog components? I used my analog to desire a better digital and the digital to want a better analog. The money went in increments, but my analog cost far more than the digital and in the end I could have purchased an exotic sports car, or sent one child to Stanford. I will say that I enjoy the vinyl more than the digital, but I listen to the digital more than the analog since it is just a matter of flipping on a switch and opening my iPad. The analog is always a planned listening time. Upgrade your system, but I suggest that you go out and listen to some great systems and make sure that you know what you want.  I don’t mean making sure that you know what equipment you want, but rather to make sure you know what musical presentation you want.  In order to get that sound, you will need to upgrade everything about your system and your room, but at least you can move one item at a time towards that sound.