Cartridge upgrade for SME 20/2A???

Monk -

Well, as a matter of fact, there was some talk of a custom phono stage a little while back, nudge nudge, wink wink ;-)

Funny, the Xono didn't work out that way in my system, mind you, it was good, so was the EAR. I'd be interested to know what speakers you are running, and I will certainly look into the TG cable, that might well be the place to start.

Doug - a Loricraft, and a Teres 320, and a Triplanar vii, AND and ZYX Universe????? That's extreme; clearly sanity left you long ago :)

You must be new around here. Everyone knows this. ;-)

I hope somday to pick your brain a bit about the Loricraft. My project for the next two years is to "ramp up" my analog setup, and a record cleaner is on the "to do" list.

No RCM?! Move that to the top of your list.

Don't ask any Loricraft owner for advice until you've set aside the purchase price. Don't waste time looking for a used one either, you probably won't live long enough.

Esoxhntr,

I noticed that you have all Blue Circle electronics. If you like the sound of a particular line of electronics, it does make sense to stick with that line all the way through a system. That would argue in favor or staying with the BC phono.

However, the most likely area for an exception is with choice of phono stage because it is much harder to get a compatible match between a phono stage and cartridge than between phono stage and linestage.

I am not familiar with the BC phono stage so I can't comment on whether to replace it or not. But, the advice given by some to at least consider alternatives is reasonable. You may very well be looking at having to replace both your cartridge and your phonostage to get a meaningful improvement.

Your Dynavector is sort of in the sweetspot, price wise, for cartridges, so you might have to spend considerably more than double its price to get a big improvement in performance (declining marginal return is a bitch). That "better" cartridge may or may not work well with your BC phonostage and/or it may make evident weaknesses that you will want to ameliorate.

The cartridges that I am familiar with that I think would be substantially better are quite pricey -- Lyra Titan and Transfiguration Orpheus. Both sound great in my Vector Arm/Basis Debut (vacuum)/Viva Fono rig. The Orpheus I have also heard sounding very good on an SME arm/Roksan table combination.

Most of the above was on Merlin VSM-Se's, which were just upgraded to MX'e' versions end of 06.

To be honest, the Xono didn't work out for me either. I preferred the Blue Circle's presentation for sure, although once I heard some detail I was missing in the 27pi, I had to move on..... to find both. Still the 27pi is killer good for the $$$, and in your case system synergy too.

I know Gilbert likes a challenge, maybe a Hybrid or full tube phono would be sweet with a GZPZ power supply.....

The Tg Audio and BC gear REALLY go well together. AC, IC, and Speaker. The High Purity is something else. If you do go that route, I'd love to get your feedback.

Unless you can afford the very best I beleive very much in complimetary colorations. The lush midrange of the Koetsu is ideal for your M/L CLS.
It does present some real problems. Price. To get the frequency extremes you'll need one of the more expensive models. At least a Rosewood Platinum Signature or higher.