Question: Upgrade from PS-HX500 + Goldring E3?

John L

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Jun 21, 2024
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Hello all.

I'm new to the forum so be kind :)

I'm a hi-fi-enthusiast of old and long-time buyer and reader of what-hi magazine and now the website.

I was always into cassettes first , then CD of course. Back in the 1980s a lot of people I knew only ever considered buying vinyl.

I never had a turntable until last year, when I found an Amazon warehouse "as new" Sony PS-HX500.

I stuck with the standard AT cartridge for a while, but then found a deal on a Goldring E3 and upgraded. What a difference! Those superlatives people use all the time to describe analogue sound suddenly made sense. More rhythmic and dynamic. Fuller, tauter, deeper reaching bass, crisper more detailed treble and sibilance well under control (most of the time).

So the question is, what's my next step, as I'm definitely "hooked" ?

I'm thinking in terms of higher-end MM cartridges between my current E3 and a £300-£400 price point.

There's a cartridge "best buy" article on the WHF site, and a few of them are stated as needing careful setup, or require the "right" kind of equipment.

I'm not sure I fancy going the used LP12 and Linn arm route - I could be looking at thousands there, and then there are all the arm bearing tests and so on to be sure I've got something good.

So what turntable and arm combination would subtly outclass my next step-up, assuming my next cartridge price point would be an audible step up (or should I go higher) ?
 

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