Yes, use balanced wherever you can. VAC will be excellent, now and post upgrade, but try to hear all-Rowland with Power Factor Correction before you make a final decision on that amp upgrade. YMMV regarding balanced, as a lot depends on your RFI/EMI environment and how tightly packed your components are (particularly the digital stuff).
The inverse RIAA card kit is $29 from Hagerman
The Capri's phono card is excellent, in the very top echelon. In my case it blew away my Pro-ject SEII, but, more importantly, it replaced a Levinson and a Sutherland in other systems that I know of. I don't know of anyone that replaced a K&K and I've never heard the K&K. Everyone's reporting plenty of gain with a wide variety of pickups along with enough loading choices to work with most cartridges. (If you've got "special needs" for loading, then there could be an issue, but the Capri handles "standard" loads). Uncolored, transparent, sweet, open, large stable image are things that I've heard from the three or four reporters that I've heard from directly by phone or email. The phono presentation is very consistent with the line inputs.
Dave
The inverse RIAA card kit is $29 from Hagerman
The Capri's phono card is excellent, in the very top echelon. In my case it blew away my Pro-ject SEII, but, more importantly, it replaced a Levinson and a Sutherland in other systems that I know of. I don't know of anyone that replaced a K&K and I've never heard the K&K. Everyone's reporting plenty of gain with a wide variety of pickups along with enough loading choices to work with most cartridges. (If you've got "special needs" for loading, then there could be an issue, but the Capri handles "standard" loads). Uncolored, transparent, sweet, open, large stable image are things that I've heard from the three or four reporters that I've heard from directly by phone or email. The phono presentation is very consistent with the line inputs.
Dave