Joel, that cartridge isn't the easiest to setup, so check with the alignment with the protractor that comes with the turntable.
Also, if you're playing new vinyl, particularly the re-mastered stuff, it is to my ears on the bright and thin side. If you can find a secondhand copy of Love over Gold, it's one of the best-produced LPs of all time and also one that should comfortably out-perform the CD. The original Sade and Tracy Chapman LPs are also good to use references.
Yes, you do have a base-level cartridge, especially given that pre-amp, but it should be a good match for the arm. Has it been used recently? As others have suggested, it takes a while for things to loosen up with cartridges.