1) This is a matter of taste, both are fine cartridges and sound very good.
2)Survival of the fittest means that most of the under $500.00 phono preamps on the market are just great. The Cambridge is a value leader and the current darling of the budget internet set, but depending on your choice of cartridge, and your taste, you may prefer another phono pre. For instance, with the 150 you might like the smoother Gram Slee 2SE, at more than twice the price of the Cambridge, and MM only. BTW, I have a Cambridge 640P as a backup phono pre, so have no predjudice against it.
3)This may be a worthwhile upgrade. I am speculating here, but from the pictures, that headshell looks very resonant. You may want to consider a nice aftermarket headshell such as the Sumiko, Yamamoto or other designs.
4)I have not had good luck with sand boxes, though other's have. You can mock one up with a cardboard box and a slab of wood to see if it is going to work. Just because you feel that vibrations are making it to the plinth, doesn't necessarily mean that they are not being dealt with.
5)Yes, you are.
6)Some rigs sound better if you take out the little rubber gasket on the headshell. Others don't; you will have to adjust overhang if you do this.
Be careful with that ultrasonic stylus cleaner, some report adverse effects on the suspensions of some brands of cartridges.
A good record cleaning machine will probably have the greatest benefits for sound quality and longevity of your records and stylus.
2)Survival of the fittest means that most of the under $500.00 phono preamps on the market are just great. The Cambridge is a value leader and the current darling of the budget internet set, but depending on your choice of cartridge, and your taste, you may prefer another phono pre. For instance, with the 150 you might like the smoother Gram Slee 2SE, at more than twice the price of the Cambridge, and MM only. BTW, I have a Cambridge 640P as a backup phono pre, so have no predjudice against it.
3)This may be a worthwhile upgrade. I am speculating here, but from the pictures, that headshell looks very resonant. You may want to consider a nice aftermarket headshell such as the Sumiko, Yamamoto or other designs.
4)I have not had good luck with sand boxes, though other's have. You can mock one up with a cardboard box and a slab of wood to see if it is going to work. Just because you feel that vibrations are making it to the plinth, doesn't necessarily mean that they are not being dealt with.
5)Yes, you are.
6)Some rigs sound better if you take out the little rubber gasket on the headshell. Others don't; you will have to adjust overhang if you do this.
Be careful with that ultrasonic stylus cleaner, some report adverse effects on the suspensions of some brands of cartridges.
A good record cleaning machine will probably have the greatest benefits for sound quality and longevity of your records and stylus.