Advice for a new analog system

Thank you, @vonhelmholtz for your comments and for bringing this thread to my attention.

@ftrot, your system is made of incredible components and is worthy of the investment you are willing to make for a vinyl rig. I don't come across many who pair Mc with Dyn, and I bet that results in fantastic synergy.

There have been a lot of great contributions to this thread already. When looking at the whole package, I would definitely think about the stability and drive of the table and plinth, the performance of the tonearm, and a great cartridge to pair with it given the tonearm's effective mass. Then, based on cartridge selection and the main system preamp, I would find the best phono stage to match. In my earlier days, I would typically look into cartridges first, but the performance of the cartridge is more vastly affected by the rest of the turntable. Also as cartridges can come and go, it's important to think about the turntable and tonearm as being the foundation that is there to stay.

I personally run a Clearaudio Innovation Wood, whose motor is powered by the $3500 optional Clearaudio Smart Power 24V DC power supply, which basically makes the motor run on battery power free of ripples in current while offering a bit more confidence in a way a direct drive table might, and I use the Tri-Planar U12 tonearm, which is one of the best and most innovative tonearms made today. Cartridge is the My Sonic Lab Signature Gold (one step below @vonhelmholtz, which I'm a bit jealous about) paired with a Simaudio Moon 810LP (hoping to score the optional 820S power supply down the road).

If I had the chance to set up a second rig, or perhaps sell part of mine and work with the budget you have, I would likely want to sell off the Clearaudio Innovation Wood and try for a Technics SP-10R, which is the most recent release of theirs from their long standing SP-10 direct drive line. This has been a proven design that only has gotten better over the years, and while the previous generations are still well coveted, the SP-10R breaks new grounds with stability and performance. I would then look into pairing this unit with one of the artisan plinths available, like those from Artisan Fidelity (high qualitiy wood) or OMA (cast iron).

For the tonearm, I would recommend nothing but the Tri-Planar U12 or U2SE. Tri Mai's advancement on Herb Papier's designs are nothing short of astonishing. Upgrading my arm to that one resulted in a more significant improvement in sound over upgrading my cartridge by thousands of dollars. The performance gains due to improved resonance control and less friction resulted in clarity, dynamics and effortless I'd never prior heard in my system, and this is coming from multiple types of VPI tonearms in the past. Full disclaimer, I am now an authorized Tri-Planar dealer, mostly because I was simply floored in its performance. The one I own now was not purchased in a dealer capacity.

Once you select a tonearm and cartridge to pair, you can start thinking about phono stages. Some will be typical gain stages, or, depending on the selected cartridge, you may opt for transimpedance / current mode phono stages. A few folks in this community turned me onto them when I started the thread "Solid State Phono Stages" early last year. Of course, I wholeheartedly recommend a tonearm that can be wired in true balanced configuration into the phono stage and have a phono stage that is truly balanced in input and output to preamp. That limits some choices, but inherently may make some decisions easier on you. Going this route not only will reduce noice, but enables for longer runs one day should you decide to better isolate your vinyl rig away from the rest of your rack or room.

The phono stages you mention (CJ or ARC) are somewhat apples to oranges in tonality. Given you are running an all Mc stack, which tends to run on the warm side, the Dyns likely do a good job of delivering honesty. I would likely recommend a phono stage that is quite neutral and revealing to maintain integrity, and you can then have options in your cartridge selections on whether you want more warmth, bloom, detail, etc.

I'm always happy to chat and provide guidance along the way, no purchase necessary. Feel free to message me if you're inclined.

Juan Charvet
Bliss Hifi

I would caution that while I would agree largely with @rauliruegas with both his recommendations on Simaudio and the PS Audio Stellar Phono, the performance is relative to their price points. The Stellar Phono is one of the best solid state phono stages at its price point, but in my experience a number of phono stages in the $3K+ range easily bested it. For a solid state phono, I found it neither to be the quietest nor the most exciting, but it was still very good. In my experience, the Simaudio 610LP or even better, the 810LP, are leagues above in performance, albeit at exponentially higher price points.  

@pindac 100% agree. Unfortunately for us audiophiles, direct experience is unavailable for many brands and units, and most have to rely on the assessments and recommendations of others. As citizens of this community, it is in our best interest to be as helpful to each other as we can, and that is the intent of these discussions. But I agree, there is no better way to land on a decision other than hearing a component in your room and in your system.