Best investment; cartridge or line stage?

@terry9 yes indeed, I'm not sure crossing the street in heavy traffic is wise 😱.

@elliottbnewcombjr So the interest in moving up the Sutherland line comes from a conversation I had with the owner (we both live in KC, go Chiefs) when I bought the TZ vibe. He said the difference in the TZ and the little loco was significant. Different tech. He advised I go straight to the little loco instead of buying then taking a hit on resale of the little loco, but my wallet did not support the thought at that time. Before I made that jump, I thought I better consider cartridge vs phono stage.

resale of the TZ

btw,

Those speakers are 92 db sensitivity, and the bass is self powered: thus not needing a lot of power.

You might someday consider going all tube, i.e. sell the McIntosh Hybrid.

Perhaps get a Stereo model that can also be used as Mono, so you can double your power in the future if you fall in love with some inefficient speakers (don’t even listen to inefficient speakers if you know what’s good for you).

And, the speakers are 4 ohm nominal, if you ever change to all tubes, look for an amp that doubles it’s power for 4 ohms.

@terry9 I am really looking forward to your first attempts at producing a cutting edge design Mycelium / Soya Resin Impregnated  Wand.

The world of Soya Resin is quite established, with the world of the 'Myc’ being the one that is fast closing in.

I have now found Speaker Cabinet/Enclosure produced from 'Myc', as well as  Acoustic Panels, the usage of this material is ’mushrooming’ 😁.

@elliottbnewcombjr "don’t even listen to inefficient speakers if you know what’s good for you"

I suspect that what you mean is, "Some are so good that you will fall in love," like ESL's or Magnepans. But some could take your words as dismissive. Perhaps you could clarify?

@pindac That’s going on the back burner for now, because I’m building an active crossover for some Magnepan DWM woofers and my isobaric sub.