Upgrade My Turntable - How Much Do I Need to Spend?

Elliot, You wrote, "Playing a Stereo Cartridge even if your Preamp has a Mono Mode: the cartridge will pick up any vertical movement: scuffs, surface dust, dirt in the grooves, very slight warps: then the preamp’s Mono Mode will DOUBLE the unwanted noise in both speakers." 
This is not the first time you have made that claim.  Can you provide some supporting reference?  What happens in a typical phonopreamp in mono mode is much like what happens in most modern mono cartridges, which are bridged internally to produce a mono signal.  So too are phonoline preamps when in mono mode; R and L channels are bridged.  This does not "double" noise produced by vertical motion of the stylus/cantilever, so far as I know.  I'm willing to learn if you provide a reference.  It also goes against all my direct experience using mono mode in the preamp; the treble is noticeably cleaner compared to playing a mono LP in stereo mode.  That in fact is the major benefit as I perceive it.

You have some good choices in mind.
i've owned the  Rega P6 and Riga turntables are really good. I have a clear audio DC performance and clear Audio makes tables in your price range that are excellent. As Others have said, I would encourage you to invest sufficient money on a separate phono stage to complement your system. In fact, I might concentrate on that first, because once that is covered, the phono stage will pretty much be with you forever as long as you like it. In my experience, the phono stage in your Mac set a pretty low ceiling on the rest of your system. Again, there are going to be lots of choices in any given price range that are good and you're going to get recommendations that match somebody else's personal preference. Personally, I think Sim Audio has a good line at various price points and Rega has some good products as well. Good luck.

How big of a step up do I need to make with my turntable to take full advantage of the other components in my system?

Congrats to your ’find’. I know exactly what you mean 😊

I reckon that you already got some valuable advice from other members.

I for myself can imagine that with the following minimum amounts you should reach your goal.

Turntable 2.5k

Cartridge 1.5k

Phono preamp 1.5k

Of course, sky is the limit.

Regarding a ’simple’ setup: You will need to invest some time to mount the cartridge correctly. No big deal. Just do it relaxed and follow the basic rules. No hush hush.

As elliottbnewcomjr has mentioned this topic in his comment. Otherwise, you will not be able to profit from the hardware update as you really could.

Enjoy the (hopefully) upcoming journey.

@OP. Issues with turntable setup/maintenance are frequently overstated. Non- suspended subchassis turntables need close to zero maintenance apart from an occasional belt change and, possibly, a drop or two of bearing lubricant. Similarly, a cartridge that is properly installed needs nothing until its stylus is worn out.

Taking account of your budget, a Rega Planar 8 would be a good starting point. If you up your budget to above your $4k suggested limit, the Technics SL1200G is excellent and totally bulletproof in terms of reliability - direct drive so effectively maintenance free.

If you want a suspended deck, the Michell Gyrodec a good relatively fuss free choice.

@lewm 

If you have a noise that is say 24 dB down in the left channel and add the noise, 24 dB down, to the right channel, the combined volume will be 21 dB down or double the power, not double the volume. 

@whart 

Isolation is ALWAYS necessary when it comes to turntables. Turntables are vibration measuring devices and they do not care where the vibration is coming from. The environment is full of extraneous vibration from your refrigerator kicking in to the truck running down the street. People who live in NYC are very familiar with this problem. I call it environmental rumble, it is even a problem if you live in the country, only not as bad. People with turntables that are not suspended. Put your stylus down on a stationary record and turn the volume all the way up. You will see your woofer moving, shaking. The turntable is measuring the rumble in your environment. If I try the same experiment on an SME or Sota you will see nothing, no shaking at all. Any unsuspended turntable needs to be put on a suspension platform. With the weight of the turntable the resonance frequency of the suspension should be below 3 Hz.