Hardware or source materail

@noromance   Ah, I understand. Thought the comment was out of character. Thank you for clarifying.

  I put paying big bucks for vinyl low on the list, these days.  That isn't the way the wind is blowing.  And even though 45's can sound better, spending even more time cleaning and turning  records over is not very appealing.  And then there's the problems with the mastering of many reissues, which can make the records hit-or-miss.

 The source quality is often the least of my concerns, since I like many historical recordings and bootlegs of live recordings, where the quality of the recording is poor.  

   Since you express happiness with your current speakers: a better integrated will make every single thing you listen to sound better.  Including all the records you already have.  

This has been a very informative series for me. I thank you all for your responses. I will look into a stand alone phono pre. Any suggestions? Tube vs SS? My CA AXR was about $600 so not expensive. Any phono stage would be played through the CA which is SS amp. Dunno if that makes any real difference.100/watts/side though I rarely have it past 75% of power, small room and, well, wife.

I spent some time at Excel Audio in Newport Beach and auditioned some gear. Some of the best available and it was very impressive.

Your TT/cart is where I started just 4 years ago. It is entry level and not worthy of some of the high quality vinyl you might be buying at Excel (I buy all my vinyl from Mike).

How to get a better system incrementally? You should trust Mike’s advice. Let him know how much you are willing to spend. I would start with TT/Cart/Phono stage.

My issue is that my room is so small it seems to me that I would reach a point of dimminishing returns very quickly.

Near field listening can be awesome - listen to the very small Harbeth’s - I think Mike has all but the 40’s in stock. I used to have Harbeth 30’s in a 60x20 ft space with a couple of small RELs and they were amazing for their size. Not trying to steer you to Harbeth, just that a small (12x12) room should not be limiting your expectations. Actually it may be an advantage.

OP,  you are correct that Blue is above red.  But glad we both enjoyed a nice boost at a bargain.  I'd think a still better cart and/or phono amp would also move the needle.  I use a Vincent PHO300 and think it's quite good albeit ill admit, with no real comparisons.  The reason I stopped there was my frustration with securing good vinyl.  Between modern pressings of older titles, the vagaries of the used vinyl market and the general cost/title and the numerous disappointments (SQ and material), I made the switch to streaming.  Bottom line to me was less $ per satisfactory title  since I can stream for $11/mo.  Enything.  Dabble in an artist.  Discover. No dust, cleaning, static etc.  Just my journey and not a recommendation.    Cost of way less than one vinyl per month earns back my initial outlay IMO.  Also, no mention of room acoustic work.   Being square and using a sub likely means some stout LF peaks to be be tamed.