Turntable upgrade

I would look at VPI, Clear Audio, Linn, LP12, and the Well Tempered Amadeus just got a great review.

I agree the bottleneck is the Fono.

Get the best phono stage in your budget.

The P6 is a nice table and a good phono stage will make it rock!

I didn't know the Ania was bonded!  

An elliptical is good but I would try a Micro Line or something similar.

I would definitely upgrade the phonostage first. Even with an upgraded tt your current phono is still possibly your bottleneck. Good luck. 

I recently traded my VPI Scout table I’d had for years for a Pure Fidelity Harmony turntable with the Savant arm and Stratos cartridge. It’s paired with a Parasound JC3+ phono amp. I can’t believe the difference — the clarity, bottom end, and definition that this table provides is amazing. I can’t recommend the Pure Fidelity enough — check them out! 

Personally iwould keep.the table and upgrade the phono stage and amplifier the parasound is decent but you will be amazed by moving to a higher class of amplifier

Dave and Troy

AUDIO intellect NJ

Rega dealer/ former Parasound dealer

I just purchased the P8 w/ Apheta 3 cart. into PS Audio $2500 phono pre. Unbelievable "you are there" sound and quiet as a mouse. Better sounding than my 25K digital setup....My record collection has come alive. I haven't had late night listening sessions like this in years. Thanks Rich @ Signature Sound in Liverpool NY. ps....I had the Parasound phono pre but sent it back. Not impressed.

I was somewhat in the same boat last year. Got the itch for a new TT.

I have a MoFi Ultra deck with the MoFi phono preamp.  I felt I could make the next major jump in many areas if I picked up a newer, more expensive TT. What I ended up doing was adding a Hana ML cartridge and a Parasound JC3 Jr. I am very pleased with the results. Everything is in such tight focus, more open and smooth sounding too. Now I feel I'd have to take out a loan to make any major improvement. I guess I'll have focus my upgrade(itis) elsewhere. 

When upgrading a turntable, you need to go up substantially to make an improvement. I started with a Rega P1 and thought I could go up to P6P8 and there was not a lot of difference between them. I wind up getting a clear audio performance DC with a AMG cartridge and a musical surroundings battery Operated Phono stage

+2 a better Phono-Pre will make a significant improvement.

I currently us a Zesto Andros 1.2.  It was one of the best upgrades that I have ever made.  Also, the 12AX7 JJ tubes last for thousands of hours, are inexpensive and available from all of the typical web-stores.

Good luck!

Here is my .02 cents as firm believer in source 1st, I would trade the p6 with Ania and do what I can to get the P8....if that’s a stretch get it with their carbon cart, ( I have that combo)keep the fono mc as you won’t get much for it.

enjoy that combo for awhile, get to know it, then if you want to upgrade, then try a better cart like the Ania Pro or something else, listen to that thru your fono mc and see what you hear....its better, about the same or worse....my guess better.

THEN after that I would look at better phono stages.

Turntable/arm....then cart...then phono stage.....gives best bang for buck, you can’t amplify what you don’t get from your front end....source 1st.

My Rega with el cheapo cart kicks some ass especially for the money, I have more expensive tables that combo holds its own.

I too own a P6. As evidenced by the many posts, there are disparate opinions. One thing perhaps on which all can agree is that there are multiple upgrade paths, each of which can improve sound quality. My P6 has a Sumiko Songbird cartridge, similar in price and design to your Ania, elliptical not line contact, but preferred by my dealer to the Ania. 
 

I chose to upgrade my Musical Surroundings Phononena II solid state phono stage. I purchased a pre owned Modwright SWP 9.0 SE, a well regarded tube phono stage that originally retailed for about $3,000. The improvement in sound after adding this phono stage was more noticeable than the upgrade from my ProJect Debut III with Ortofon Bronze cartridge to my P6 and Songbird. Instrument timbres are more natural, imaging is better with deeper soundstage. Bass is deeper with no loss in tightness, and background noise to my ears is equally inaudible. The sound is simply more analog, more lifelike. 

Whatever you choose to do, try to audition any upgrade in your listening room with your equipment. I purchased the Modwright from a dealer with the right to return it. Once it was hooked up I never thought about sending it back. 

I had the chance to compare 3 different phono preamps if u care to upgrade there. I compared the rega aria, the rogue ares II and just the phono pre amp in my receiver. I didn’t think the rega was a huge difference from the receiver. However the rogue had more detail to it. I liked the fact it had separate power supply and tubes. I didn’t get a chance to try Hegel v10. Like sameyers1 I’m also running an ortofon bronze which was a great improvement over the red.

To be clear I agree a better phono stage will give the OP better sound with what he has, my take is go to the next level turntable and a decent mm will give a better sound than option one and from there improve down the line....better cart and better phono stage.

I upgraded my turntable to a brand new  P10 last year. So I thought. It was very disappointing. My old modified Heybrook TT2 was better in many regards. I sold  the P10 in the same month to replace it with a good old Linn LP12 fully upgraded with Kore, Cirkus and Lingo 3. What a difference!
A well equipped LP12 does it for me and there are excellent ones on the second hand market. The other option for me would be a new Pure Fidelity. I just installed their Stratos cartridge and it is absolutely fantastic for the price. Better than a Hana ML and comparable to the Umami blue (a bit less detail but more punch and soundstage).

bottom line, moving from a P6 to a P8 is not a real upgrade IMHO. After finding the right turntable then pick the matching phono stage if not satisfied with current one. The phono stage will not correct the source if it not at your satisfaction level. Good luck and keep us posted.

I really do not like the look of the P8 or 10. 

I would really switch brands then. With all the TT changes you describe, you may not realize a lot of improvements. 

I tried the Parasound 2125v2 for a month and it was underwhelming to say the least. The only thing I wouldn't change in your chain is the TT, so much for staying on point.

Stick with Rega....They are the best bang for the buck. The Apheta 3 cart on the P8 is a big step up from the P6 w/ Ania cart.

Flying under the radar here is George E. Merrill’s bespoke, built-to-order Polytable line (aka "GEM Dandy" -- get it?) George’s design philosophy overlaps with that of Rega’s Roy Gandy -- stiff, light-weight plinths, etc. -- and his tables punch far, far, above their weight class at a lower price than the high-end Regas.

I think you’re looking at $3-5000, including options like the outstanding external motor drive -- check out Mikey Fremer’s figures when he tested the speed control, specs comparable to those of 5- & 6-figure models -- and a Sorane or Acoustic Signature arm. George can also outfit a Polytable with one of the the newer "entry-level" DS Audio ES-3 optical cartridges (no need for a phonostage!). Cartridge plus obligatory equalizer add, I think, $2750, but they incorporate a lot of trickle-down from DS’s $50,000+ flagship. It looks like, as of last year, that optical cartridges have finally begun to mature and stabilize.

I’ve had a bottom-of-the-line PolyTable for about 5 years (originally recommended to me personally by Michael Fremer) and am about to upgrade it to a fully loaded version. But even my model is a heckuva lot like a Rega Planar 10. (George mightcontest that, asserting that the PolyTable is a better table in many ways, but I"m staying out of that one!) But I have to say that, other than cleaning up my power, upgrading from an older vintage table to even this low-end GEM Dandy, and even with a lower-cost arm, delivered the most dramatic sonic improvements to my system that didn’t involve a speaker upgrade. It really is a great, great turntable.

When you contact the company, George will speak with you directly (!) to discuss how you want to configure the table. It will then be built under his supervision to your specs.

Yeah, a table like this is not for everybody, but if you believe that it’s possible to build a lightweight, small-footprint turntable without compromise & if you value the opportunity to discuss a custom build with one of the most respected designers in the history of the business, then a HiFiGen table is worth at least considering.

I'm listening through a $19,000 T+A integrated amp and Harbeth speakers, with Analysis Plus Silver Apex phono cables.

Groovetracer subplatter (new for P6) and Sutherland phono stage. Boom!

+1 for George's PolyTable Signature & the Sutherland Transimpedance TZ Vibe for moving coil cartridges.  Or swing for the fences and (as mentioned previously) the DS Audio. George is a GEM!

Happy hunting

Get a better phono preamp. I have the Rega P6  Exact 2 with an Aesthetix Rhea Eclipse. Sound is very special 

I had  a P5 with its RB700 arm and first upgraded the arm to the one that comes with the P8, the RB880. Huge difference (already had the TT_PSU). Subsequently I upgraded the table itself and actually like the look of it, although I must say the improvement in sound is not nearly as much as upgrading the arm itself. I assume you have the RB330 arm on the P6, so I would start with the arm if you don't want to take the full plunge to the P8.

Also, in my experience, Rega's cartridges are not nearly as good a value as their arms and tables. Try a different cartridge/phono stage combo, remembering to stay on the lighter side of cartridges. FWIW I have a van den Hul MC One special with a Sutherland Insight with LPS. I am very happy and the stylus on the cartridge lasts an especially long time.

Just remember to make sure the table is well isolated from vibrations. I put mine on top of a Townshend seismic platform which sits on a wall mounted shelf. My floor is suspended over a crawl space, and the sound improvement from putting the table on top of the platform/shelf combo was a dramatic improvement. 

I almost bought a P6 with Ania.  Had high expectations for the sound but it was one of the most disappointing sounding audio components I have experienced.  

Went with a Technics 1200GR and Audio Technica ART9 and what a complete treat this table has been. 

You might consider the Sota Quasar (or even bump it up to the suspended Sota Sapphire).

I believe both come with the Condor motor controller now.  (Could add the Roadrunner tach down the line).

Pick your own arm (e.g., an Origin Live  Silver or Zephyr).  or even stick with a Rega arm.