Clearaudio Emotion lacks dynamics

Part of the reason that I went with the Marantz over the stock Emotion was the feet. The Marantz feet have alot more mass. I'm using a Target wall shelf, but there are a number of other options for isolation.

Glad to hear that cabling solved some of your issues.

I have a satisfy arm and getting the VTA correct can make a very big difference. I set mine (arm/cart level to the LP) for heavier/thicker records and then use a thin felt mat with thinner records. I see now why having an easy way to recalibrate VTA would be a very nice feature. Also, the anti-skate adjustment seems to also make a difference and having it adjusted to about 1/2 of the bolt thread works best on my set-up.

Hope you'vesolved your problem already, but Iwas told by the guys at Elusivedisc - folks I bought my Emotion from, to use the the round level disc that comes with it to set the spacing and then screw the arm in via the platter

Ok my VTA adjustments were a success. The sound is much more locked in now. Bass response has improved greatly. I think my cart alignment is good, but the cantilever almost seems to be a bit bent in relation to the cartridge body. At first I did my alignment according to the cartridge body, but learned that that isn't a good idea. I realigned making sure the cantilever was in line with the grid, which yielded much better results. I still don't feel that I'm tuned in 100%, maybe more like 90% there. I still have to play around with tracking force and whatnot. Overall I now really enjoy the sound of this setup.

Oh one more question....if I'm hearing distortion on the highs on some albums (ones that I know are not damaged), does this indicate that the anti-skate needs adjusted?

Either anti-skate or tracking force needs to be adjusted. If its equally in both channels, you may need a bit more tracking force. Otherwise look to AS. Many here have found that manufacturers recommendations on AS are too high.