Turntable Upgrade Help....

Hey Larry-

What kind of phono preamp are you using currently?  That may be the place to start instead of a new table.  If you're at all DIY inclined, I can't speak highly enough of the Hagerman Bugle phono preamp (right around your budget).

I own an SL-D2 and it has been a very reliable table.  It's currently backup to a Rega P3, but when I used it regularly it was very good (though I can't speak personally for the rest on your list).

Which ortofon cartridge on the SL-D2? Actually dont tell me, Google it. If its a DJ cartridge its a terrible deal. If its a hi-fi cartridge its an iffy deal. Perhaps you can negotiate?

Although the SL-D2 will take the TT you have now and make it feel sad about living the best thing to do is just get a new cartridge for the TT you have now. The cartridge you have (the standon L720EE, D71EE is the replacement stylus) is a DJ cartridge. It is designed more for back-cuing, scratching, and that sort of abuse than hi-fi sound reproduction. A hi-fi cartridge although slightly less rugged will sound about a zillion times nicer.

If you can come up with the cash for the SL-d2 AND a new cartridge Id say that would be outstanding.

The SL-QD33 looks like a nice TT except for the fact that it uses P-mount cartridges. which sucks because finding nice P-mounts is hard.

I would agree with nikongod on trying a new cartridge first. I have a middle of the road TT but rather than replace it right now, I have been through three different carts and each one has had significant changes in the sound. Although I have not found exactly what I am looking for, I am going to replace my phono stage next rather than the TT.

the cart I am using is a Sumiko Talisman `S` right now. I switched about a month ago from a Denon DL103 which is considered to be an industry standard and was built like a tank compared to the talisman and the Sumiko Blue Oyster Special EVO III which I was using before the Denon.

I paid around $250 for the Denon from Needle doctor and it is a very good cart but I was looking for a bit more clarity and transparancy on the highs and the Denon is a very good Rock/Jazz cart but with my configuration it just did not get me the sound I was hoping for.

But, long story short; the cart swap outs have the biggest sonic effect over any other change I did (I had a B&O Tang 4004 TT before going with current ProJect RM6SB) and TT change was not as dramatic as cart change was.

IMO of course...

Good luck!

My normal "go to" cartridge list is:

Grado Black

Denon 103 (not the R version)

Shelter 501mk2

They roughly triple in price from step to step (second hand price on the 501), and have all stood the test of time. They are also used as reference points: its hard to find someone who rolls cartridges like we here roll headphones that hasnt owned one if not all of these. There are plenty of other nice cartridges out there, but its hard to go wrong with any of these 3. I should note that there are plenty of not-so-nice cartridges too. 

The Denon 103 and Shelter 501mk2 are both Low output MC's. They dont exactly fit in with your TT at the moment (like putting a set of $2000 wheels on a $1250 car...) but perhaps down the line this will be helpful. They will require a phono stage that can accept a Low output MC signal or a Step Up Transformer (SUT) as an additional consideration.