MMF 2.1 - next upgrade path?



I thought I was going to spend only $300 to enjoy vinyl only in a rainy day with all those surface noises. I was wrong. I ended up listening way more than that. If I knew vinyl was this good, I would have spent more to start with better turntable, at least maybe MMF 5. Anyways...

I am thinking of the next upgrade, with strong supervision by my lovely wife - there you go, budget limitation.

1. Cartridge: Grado, either used or new, within $150
2. Save some money for now, buy a new turntable sometime next year
3. Separate phono stage within $150. Currently I am using built-in phono stage of Musical Fidelity A300.
4. Any more ideas?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
silvmoon
The next upgrade should be a better table. I'd save up. You can get a notable improvement from one of the medium Regas, or should you be willing to go the used route, a Thorens off of Ebay (some reconditioning may be necessary, but these tables will blow away even the MMF-5). If you can swing it, the VPI Scout is probably awesome, but it's significantly more expensive ($950 w/o arm, $1500 with arm).

After that, the cartridge. I'd think about one of the cheaper moving coils, such as the legendary Denon DL-103 (available for about $160-200 from overseas dealers) or the new Dynavector 10X5 (probably $250 at the right discounted price), either of which will be a significant upgrade from the stock Goldring. Be aware that the Denon will require significantly more gain than your current moving magnet cart - I'm not sure whether your MF provides an MC stage. If not, you should plan on buying a step-up transformer from Jensen or Stevens & Billington. The Dyna is a high-output moving coil and won't require any more gain than an MM cart.

Hope this helps.
Patrick
Advice - Keep your present cartridge. The cartridge you have in your arm now is probably better, and certainly less troublesome than what you are considering.
Your present phono stage is fine for now too. You won't get anything appreciably better for $150.
Enjoy your turntable, and save your money for something a good step better next year.