Upgraded turntable - is my current setup sufficient?

Thanks for the reply. You have a beautiful setup there. well done.

We seem to be on the same page - slow and steady is how i've been building and always an eye out for cost effective deals. In fact this table is the first item i've purchased new. Everything else has been used or a hand-me-down.

My table is currently sitting on a pangea rack sitting about 4 feet from my right front channel. My floors are hardwood so it probably makes sense to look into some isolation gear. 

One silver lining with this virus... plenty of money to burn. 

Oh one more question. Any recommendations for a dust cover? I've seen some out there for around $180 bucks but wanted to make sure i wasn't missing any other options.

Yes - dp300f. No typos - also it is belt driven. Stock arm and upgraded to sumiko rainier cart. 

Any suggestions on a phono-pre that pairs well with the clearaudio cart? 

I don't see myself upgrading the rotel amps or speakers for at least a couple years... Though you never know should a good deal come around. 

Experimenting with some different phono's seems like an easy enough exercise though. Thank you. 

Well..... at least I've confirmed which component to focus on. Sounds like the hard part will be choosing one. Ill try a good handful of them and see which one my ears appreciate the most. Seems like several outlets allow free returns. 

Update: the marantz arrived today at 10:30am while i was on a conference call. I don't think a work call has ever felt longer. I took my time setting it up... actually forgot to eat lunch i was just too excited.

Review (thus far). Roughly 6 albums in. An excellent and easily identified improvement in clarity and definition. Mids/highs/lows...  I know some people said it lacked some bass but i haven't noticed. At least compared to my old setup. Im coming from a sumiko rainier that I liked a lot for its warmth. I wouldn't say the virtuoso lacks that warmth but it didnt illicit as large a jump in that category as all the other areas i've noticed so far. Perhaps the new pre-amp can bring some added warmth? Is that something phono stages do?

Verdict: I am super jazzed up. Very happy with the purchase and looking forward to hearing what a different phono stage can do. 

Side note. Im a phish nerd. Before i got into vinyl i rarely listened to their studio albums... its just a different ballgame now... and they're great for testing out this new table. They bring it all... jazz, funk, rock..... bluegrass. (end shameless Phish plug)

Thanks all for the suggestions. Ill get to work. 

Update: I tried the iFi, monoprice pure tube (just to get a sense for a tube pre), the clearaudio nano, and the simaudio moon lp110. 

The ifi was actually pretty decent for $150 bucks.
The pure tube from monoprice wasnt bad on sale for $300 - definitely a warmer sound but not nearly as dynamic as the moon or nano (both around $400). Also has no ground wire screw and the hum really annoyed me.

Settled on the moon LP110 for now. Its super detailed and theres an openness and depth to it that the others did not compete with. 

Having said all that... I'd really like try a better quality tube pre-amp. Do i have options (used or new) in the $800-1000 ballpark that would be an improvement over the moon?