Thinking of an upgrade for my turntable system?

I'd upgrade the cartridge. Maybe the lowest priced SoundSmith is in your price range?

Alternatively, you could get the JICO SAS needle for your M97XE. Especially if your cart is getting up there in hrs.

hi, as has been stated many times before......some experimentation with room treatments[absorption and diffusion] can make huge differences in sound quality. there are diy options out there to stretch the budget too.

unfortunately, I live in an apartment with my parents, so room treatments aren't really an option at the moment. I just have my set up in my bedroom.

Thinking about it now, I think the only thing I could upgrade is the cartridge and/or needle, because everything else cost over 200 dollars anyway.

Would it be better to get a JICO SAS needle or to invest in another, better, cartridge? I'm not extremely fond of the Shure's neutral sound, I was thinknig of getting something a bit more ... exciting especially since I listen to a lot of fast-paced pop punk/punk rock on vinyl.

any suggestions? and thanks in advance :)

Look at the Needle Doctor site and select the budget cartridge choice. They are ordered by cost. This would give you some ideas about cartridges to research in your price range.

well with $200 you can't upgrade to better turntable amp or speakers; less-likely you'll benefit even from the outboard phono preamp if you have such option to bypass built-in; your cartridge isn't bad for your rig either.
The only options you have is wait to double the amount at least or buy more music.

Try the Ortofon 2M Red for $99. A great deal on a musical cartridge. You might also consider upgrading your phono stage, perhaps a used NAD pp1 or pp2?

roomtunes makes some "pillow" type roomtreatments that can be secured with stickpins. i use the corner pillows. without them my room is so boomy it is unlisteneable in here. also as an idea, do you have good isolation under your turntable?

Buy the best source material you can find. That will make more difference than anything else considering your budget...

-RW-

What about a decent pair of headphones? The Denon AH-d1100 are $200. Denons sound very good and are easy to drive. Stay away from Beats and Bose and all that noise-cancelling crap. They are for planes and subways, not serious listening. Grados are cool, but they are open back, which mean you need a quiet room, just like with speakers.