First in line...


At the moment I can't afford to upgrade both so which is best to upgrade first, arm or cartridge...?

I'm currently using an upgraded Origin Live Onyx/Audio Technica AT33EV & Roksan Xerxes 20plus.
128x128infection
Were they nearly 4k new...? The cartridges on my shortlist are all cheaper than a used Herron...

Are there any owners of the aforementioned cartridges who could contribute their views please...??
If everything seems about perfect but it sounds ball-less compared to good digital playback, it seems to me that there's something blunting the transients. I agree with Zd542 that you may (probably) need a speed control. You may also have a slightly slipping or stretching belt that needs to be replaced.

TAS had a very favorable review of your very turntable, the Xerxes.20Plus, that extolled its pace and dynamics. However, the test system included Roksan's off-board Reference power supply and their DXP SE phono preamp. Read the TAS review and compare the descrption with your experience. The power supply and phono stage may be worth looking into.
Infection - There's nothing wrong with the 33EV, the arm and cart are top drawer. Your analog front end is not the problem. That said, you might hear what you're looking for with a step up in electronics, particularly in the phono stage and pre-amp.

AT least get some different loaner electronics to see if they would make a difference.
"06-03-15: Bpoletti
Infection - There's nothing wrong with the 33EV, the arm and cart are top drawer. Your analog front end is not the problem."

You can't know that. As far as the OP's TT setup goes in reference to it being "top shelf", what are you using for a reference? His current setup is good, but its still at the low end of the spectrum in terms of price and SQ. Just to be clear, I'm not saying the OP's analog front end is bad. I'm saying there are substantial gains to be had with a component upgrade. Since we don't have access to the OP's system, all we can do is give our best guess as to what the problem is.
Properly set up, the OP's analog front end is VERY good. There is not much to be gained.

However, there is a lot that can be gained downstream.

Who cares about price but audio snobs? It's performance that counts.