Turntable upgrade. . . . fear of the future. . .(Long)

Vinyl Asylum

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So here I am again in the position of upgrading my turntable. It seems like I just did this a few days ago. Wait a minute, I did do this just a few days ago. Ok, a few months at least.
Anyway. I'm not truly happy with my current turntable/pre-amp setup, and feel there is something missing. I'm not for sure If I will ever be "truly" happy, but someday the law of diminishing returns, plus my banking account, are going to start making the final decision for me.
With that being said. Does anybody have any recommendations on a turntable/pre-amp setup in the $2500 - 3k range? Currently I am focusing on archiving my vinyl using an Alesis Masterlink, and monitoring the results through Sennheiser Headphones. I'm getting good results, but feel with a better TT/Phono setup than my current one (MMF-7, Creek OBH15), I could get much better results from my rips. Most importantly, I don't want to spend endless hours archiving my LP's, only to be dissatisfied with their quality in the future...always a risk I realize. It's sort of a "no turning back" type thing.
Currently I'm focusing on a VPI Scout with one of the Dynavector Cartridges, and an EAR 834P MM/MC w/ volume control. The chief reason I'm thinking of the EAR phono-stage is that it does have the volume control, something the Masterlink does not have, and clipping becomes a serious issue. I figure using the volume control on the EAR phono will help me avoid clipping from the TT to the Masterlink. On my last setup my Masterlink almost dictated by setup due to the lack of volume control on it. This time I want to be able to buy whatever equipment I want, and fix volume levels before they go into the Masterlink. I'm hoping the EAR will provide me with a good piece of equipment, as well as a way to control clipping with the Masterlink.
I know this is a super long post, but I want to take my time and do this thing right this time, so I don't look up and want to do it again in a year. I've always rushed into things in the past, only to be dissapointed and questioning my decisions. I've appreciated all the great wisdom in the past (especially you John E.) and hope you guys can help me with this crux. Any recommendations or ideas?
Thanks as always.
Lane

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Topic - Turntable upgrade. . . . fear of the future. . .(Long) - stephens101 18:04:38 09/13/06 (5)

Consider... - artemus 18:20:06 09/13/06 (3)

Re: Consider... - freaknhell 18:33:43 09/13/06 (2)

Wright Sound PP200c - dudeupshaw@cogeco.ca 21:17:55 09/13/06 (0)

Re: Consider... - Fred J 19:31:16 09/13/06 (0)

Re: Turntable upgrade. . . . fear of the future. . .(Long) - freaknhell 18:08:47 09/13/06 (0)

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