Rega P5 w/Denon 103R what should I upgrade to?

your cart is capable of amazing things, that is not the source of your problem. I would look into getting a better table as a starting point.

I have heard good things about the 103R and the mods performed by Zu Audio. If you like the general sound of it but want more, perhaps you should consider the 103R Zu? I think the P5 is a good table and can support the 103R or 103R Zu.

I have the JD9 too. Have you upgraded the tubes? This will make a very big difference in sound and might be all you need.

Also, make sure your P5 is well isolated, balanced and set up correctly with the correct settings on the JD9. Cheers.

Tbromgard, what tubes have you tried that you like?

Plenty of folks use the 103 with Rega arms, but IMHO it's not a good match. The cartridge likes to see a much higher effective mass than the Rega provides. That's why Zu, who use the Rega as their design center add mass to the cartridge.

I prefer the Denon's but it's horses for courses, a Dynavector DV20XL2 will get you all of what you want, and more. There's even one for sale here on Audiogon. It matches the arm very well.