What to upgrade next?

I'm new here, so let my first say up front that I apologize if I'm posting in the wrong forum area, or asking questions that are somehow out of bounds. I'm from the New York area and though we do our best we've also been known as bulls in china shops. I also apologize for the length of what follows. To paraphrase, sorry for the long post; I didn't have time to write a short one.

With that said, let me also say how pleased I am to have happened upon GS products and this community. Lurking in these forums has already taught me much, but certainly no more than a drop in the bucket compared to most in the community here.

A little background - I'm pushing 50, and have a long history as an audio lover that morphed over the years into a love of home theater. As an unintended consequence, my 2-channel listening shrunk nearly to nil, and vinyl long since to absolute zero.

About a year ago however my wife uncovered my old record collection...mostly rock, classic rock, early rap (talking late 70s - early 80s) as well as some crooners, big band, and a little jazz and classical. I decided to set up a 2-channel rig completely separate from my theater to see if the hobby was one to which I would return. I used to spend hours browsing the racks at the Tower Records (RIP) on E4th in NYC, run home with a new album or two, rip open the shrink wrap, and sit for hours just listening to the music. No reading, chores, or anything else. Just listening. Those were the days.

I started modestly, using a pair of Diva Swan 4.1's I had on hand, a new Marantz 8005, and a U-Turn audio TT with Grado Blue1 cart and in-built phono stage. Lo and Behold, not only have I resumed my old listening habits, but, to my delight, I've also started purchasing vinyl again - mostly 180g releases and re-releases of music I 'skipped' during the CD and now streaming eras. My wife thinks it's weird when I sit in the sweet spot and do nothing but listen to music, but ultimately she's supportive.

Of course, the entire experience left me wanting MORE.

I recently upgraded to a pair of KEF Reference 3's and a Pass Labs INT-60. That leaves my poor little U-Turn and its phono stage as my front end. From a cost standpoint, it's certainly the odd man out. I'm not sure if its quality is 'awful' as I've not been able to hear high end vinyl rigs with my speakers and amp.

Which leads me to my current dilemma. Do I get a new TT? A new cart for the existing one? A new phono stage? For the moment, the KEFs and Pass have left me somewhat out of funds, but I don't want to do "nothing" right now.

I've reached out to Bruce (BAK) to borrow an Accession and a Reflex M, so I'll definitely do as much in-home listening to those as I can. [PHENOMENAL lending program - compliments to Graham on that!]

However, I wanted to pick the brains and tap the experiences of those here. I've had set ups recommended to me at different price points, e.g.:

- Planar 6 + Ania MC + Rega Fono MC for about $3k

- VPI Prime Scout + Ortofon 2M Black for about $3k before a phono stage

Others have insisted that my speakers and amp warrant (and would reveal the benefits of) a VPI Prime, or Rega RP8 or 10 with Gyrodec or Orbe.

I'm not sure I want to spend that much on a TT regardless, though, I'm already in for a bit on the other components.

Given all the above - and sorry again for the length - what do you gents and ladies think I ought to do? My inclination is to stay in the MM realm, but could be talked out of it.

And, will my current TT reveal the differences between the Accession and the Reflex? I'd hate not to hear a difference (now) owed to my current rig, but find down the road that there is or would've been one with a better TT.

Anyway, I'm somewhat all over the place. Sorry for that. I'll leave it there and hope for some thoughts.

Best,

Tony

You mention the 1200G; now THAT would be nice .

As predicted, a quick response. Not as predicted: good news!

"Good question - the built-in preamp is fully bypassable, so the signal will not go through the preamp when it is disengaged."