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Upgrade: Turntable or Cartridge?

I currently own an early generation of the Clearaudio Emotion turntable (no CMB, spiked feet, aluminum Satisfy tonearm). My cartridge is a Grado Sonata1 (new version) Reference (High Output). I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade the turntable or the cartridge, and between the two, which would provide the greatest benefit. My phono stage is the PS Audio GCPH, which I've found to perform pretty darn well, and don't think I need to upgrade that at the moment.

I do feel that the Emotion turntable could still handle a cart a good deal more expensive than the Sonata1. To my ears, the table is extremely quiet, with fairly decent speed stability. There are a few convenience things that are annoying, such as the decoupled motor which always ends up sitting against the table and needs to be moved. The location of the switch to turn the power on, and also the exposed belt can get annoying. However, I'm still willing to live with those things if upgrading the cartridge will provide much benefit. In the end, I'm in this for the sound, not the convenience, otherwise I wouldn't have a turntable.

For cartridges, I was considering quite a range: Shelter 501 Mk II, Benz Ace or Glider, Clearaudio Concept MC, Ortofon 2M Black, Dynavector 20X2 or Karat, etc. I'd like to try out a decent MC for once, if I do choose to upgrade the cart. I've had trouble getting rid of inner grove distortion with the Sonata1 and Satisfy tonearm, even after very careful alignment. Maybe they aren't a perfect match?

Any ideas here?

Thanks
jwglista
dayglow
1,729 posts
 
Upgrade your cartridge first. When your ready to upgrade your TT put the Clearaudio Ovation at the top of your list.
redglobe
223 posts
 
Take a look at the reviews of the Denon DL-S1. Depending where you acquire one, the price ranges widely. Comet Supply is the least expensive at $600, Galen -Carol $800. After that, prices rise significantly.

I upgraded from a Denon 103R based on recommendations on this site. The DL-S1 is an excellent tracker, retrieving fine nuances of music, with a uniform reproduction of the full range of sonic frequencies.
duvallite
34 posts
 
In researching a cartridge to go with my Performance SE and Carbon Satisfy arm, I ran across DaveW's website. He has sample audio files of a nice variety of cartridges, including some that you are considering. To me, the Denon DL-S1 sounded really good, along with the AT OC9ML/II, Denon DL-304, AT150MLX, Goldring 1042, Ortofon 2M Black, and your Grado Reference Sonata 1 (at 38K load). He lists his equipment and pertinent info, so you could get an idea how all the cartridges compare in his setup.

Here's his site. http://daveyw.edsstuff.org/vinyl/cartridges/

When you upgrade, let us know what you ending up going with.
lewm
12,458 posts
 
You wrote, "There are a few convenience things that are annoying, such as the decoupled motor which always ends up sitting against the table and needs to be moved." From this I gather that the tt has a stand-alone motor and that it moves during use such that eventually the pulley is in contact with the platter or the body of the motor comes in contact with the plinth. Either one of these phenomena is BAD news. There ought to be a way to stabilize the motor in one position such that it remains stationary at all times. This is a pre-requisite for speed stability. "Fairly decent" speed stability is not good enough. As to your actual question, it seems you are determined to replace your cartridge first. I don't know enough about your tt to recommend that you replace it, but at least set it up for optimal performance before you buy a new cartridge.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
+1 to Lewm's comment.

Nothing in your post suggests any reason to upgrade. The gear you have isn't broken or worn out, but your description certainly makes it seem like it's imperfectly set up. Learn how to optimize what you have before succumbing to the upgrade bug. (N.B., optimizing ANY setup may require thinking outside the box by ignoring or supplementing instructions provided by the manufacturer.)

Throwing money at gear without using it effectively seems like a path to frustration, not to mention financial ruin. If you want to pour money down a bottomless hole, buy a boat! ;-)
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