Turntable - The Next Step

I don’t think you need to spend $6k to get to a much better place. It’s possible you can spend double that and end up with terribly mismatched components. I think you can do it for less than $4k.

But, yes, spending $6k+ can make it less challenging for sure.

So if you do decide to pause to save some money, I would at least, for the time being, get a better MM cart. Your Elyse 2 is an elliptical. It’s a fine cart but you can do better. Try a good micro line or shibata stylus. I can recommend the AT VM740ML or 750SH. If your phono stage can do 100pF capacitance, you’ll really enjoy the added detail and dynamics these stylus profiles can provide.

These carts are the current successors to the famed AT150MLX. What’s great is that you can start with the 740ML (micro line) and replace the stylus with a 750SH (Shibata) when time comes. You can even upgrade to the 760SLC (Super Line Contact) as they all use the same engine/body.

How about:

1) Hagerman Trumpet MC phono stage

2) AT33PTGII  cartridge

3) Technics 1200GR

I have the above with the only difference being a Technics 1200G.

This is a great combo...goosebumps on great recordings.

Please don't listen to the nonsense about removable headahells. It's so wonderful to be able to fine tune azimuth and have a bunch of cartridges on headahells at the ready.

If you’re gun-shy about MC cartridges, it may be because you’ve operated one with a wall wart. I did this with a Project Phono Box RS and it was terribly noisy. I bought an LPS for it and this did help overall quietness with MM cartridges but I still had loud hum with MC types.

I heard about the Hagerman Trumpet MC and its ability to stay quiet with a wall wart as part of its novel power supply design. Well it is pretty damn quiet. More importantly it sounded very sweet and musical.

This allowed me to finally use my AT33PTGII that was relegated to the drawer for almost a year. Finally hearing what a good MC can do is enlightening. I’m coming from years of commitment to the excellent VM740ML and VM750SH. Having a dedicated MC phono preamp is worth while. Keep your existing phono preamp for MM but consider a good MC specific unit and you may convert to the detail retrieval MC carts can offer.

I've found that MC carts are so sensitive that dust the cantilever picks up from normal use will slightly deaden the response. I use a soft stylus brush to gently clean the stylus and cantilever every few records. VTA/VTF setup is also very important. Buying a 4.5mm mat for my setup helped immensely. But once you understand how much more influential these little details are for MCs, you may never go back to MM.