Upgrade suggestions

[thebilljim]

Last year, I upgraded my system entirely from a shitty Sony USB turntable run through some old RCA 5.1 system w/ roughly 80 watts to its name to the set-up I have in my signature. I just got my Christmas bonus from work today, and was thinking about possibly adding some new bells & whistles to my setup, so I thought I'd come here for advice on how to get the best bang for my buck.

I'm considering a Speedbox because I'm tired of manually changing the pulley every time I want to listen to a record at a different speed than the last one. I'm also thinking of upgrading my Ortofon 2M from a Red to a Blue, but to be frank, I haven't really become unsatisfied with the sound I'm getting from the Red yet. I've thought about an acrylic platter, but I've read a number of posts here and reviews that mention a slight loss of bass response, so I'm not sure that's where I want to go.

SO:
Do I upgrade the Ortofon? Or add the Speedbox? Or just say fuck it, and spend some money on records later this year?

[pushbacktosquare]

I've recently upgraded from Red to Blue and I'm loving the change so far. You have to remember that every new stylus has a "break in period", so you really have to give it time for your stylus to break in. I've also considered buying the speed box as an upgrade, but I'm looking to do that later on next year. 

 

I got my Blue stylus via Black Friday sale w/ a 20% off Code from Turntable Lab. Came out to $164 PPD. Remember that if you already have the 2M Red, you just need to buy the replacement stylus for the Blue and you're good to go! 

Good luck! 

[allenh]

Tight on time today so I won't go into as much detail as usual

 

Speedbox yes, speed stability is the upside there not just the ability to change speed easily and is much much more important.

Not sure about the Ortofon red? Then don't bother with the blue try something else, AT maybe?

Less bass when using an acrylic platter? Utter bollocks, the platter isn't the issue there unless it's massively changing the VTA in which case it's the wrong platter for the turntable or the cartridge used is extremely sensitive to small VTA changes which I find very unlikely. Basically everything being equal there are no downsides to an acrylic platter.

[bjorn]

I did most of those upgrades when I had my Pro-Ject table. The speedbox is pricey for what it is, but I don't think you will regret it.  I can't say it made my turntable sound much different. The acrylic platter is nice to have, but again, I wouldn't expect a significant change in the sound. A cork platter mat might be be just as effective, and much cheaper. As for the cart, maybe try a Denon DL 110? I went from an AT 440mla to the 110 and liked it a whole lot more. It was a tad quieter, but it reduced hum and surface noise and smoothed out the treble. I didn't notice any loss in detail, and I think it tracked just as well as the AT.

[thebilljim]

I think I may have been unclear...I'm actually quite happy with my 2M Red, and have been since day one. Which is why I'm not sure whether it's even time for me to change my needle yet.

I already have a cork mat, so upgrading to the acrylic platter might not be the move yet either.

 

I think I'm gonna go with the Speedbox. Thanks y'all!