I still consider myself an audio newbie, but trying to experiment a bit with SQ upgrades. Some time ago, I found a nearly new Dynavector 10x5 for sale and decided to swap out my Grado Gold. I have no experience installing cartridges, but met someone in my area who does ( he enjoys restoring vintage turntables). He graciously offered to do the install at my home.

Afterward we both agreed that two things occurred: The rich warmth of the Grado was lacking, and my speakers now sounded desperately in need of a subwoofer. We switched to an SACD and the depth of the soundstage immediately improved as did the dynamic range of the speakers.

I have decided to live with the 10x5 for a couple of months to see if anything changes, but I am holding on to the Grado and it may return to my system in the near future.

Each step until this one in my audio adventure resulted in meaningful SQ improvement, and a feeling that the cost was well justified. This makes me think I am where I need to be and should just stop and enjoy the music.