What's my next evolution in the analog venture?


What does $1000-1500 gain me? Are new TT's in that price range going to significantly (subjective I know) step over my Technics? I have approx. 300 records and adding quite frequently to that. I listen to everything from Miles, Norah, George Strait, Phil Collins and anything classic rock (Journey, Triumph, Boston, Etc.)

My current setup consists of:

Technics SL 1700 (original) w/Ortofon om40 cart
MF V-LPS phono
Rotel integrated and cd player
B&W 685's
AntiCable and Signal Cable speaker wire and interconnects
dan711
You can easily get something that sounds a lot better, but you may not like it. Along with increased resolution, a new TT will also make you more aware of things like surface noise. It won't be as forgiving as your current setup. If you know someone that has a TT in your price range, I would see if you can borrow it for a day or two.
There is always trade-offs within the audio world I suppose. Increased resolution=good while less forgiving=not so good.

Currently I don't know anyone with a newer or higher end vintage TT. I have a couple of friends with less expensive units that they rarely use.
"Along with increased resolution, a new TT will also make you more aware of things like surface noise. It won't be as forgiving as your current setup."

A "better" turntable (or analog front end which includes, table, arm, cartridge and phono preamp) will indeed offer increased resolution.

But it will NOT "make you more aware of things like surface noise". On the contrary, a better analog front end will make surface noise less noticeable for a number of reasons.