If you like your amp then keep it. A decent phono pre-amp isn't that expensive. Turntable electronics is not rocket science. It all comes down to the cartridge. As far as the mechanics go, is the plinth solid and as anti-resonate as possible? Is the platter not only anti-resonate but true and stable? Is the tone arm anti-resonate, adjustable in height, tracking force, anti-skate? Can you easily swap out cartridge mount headshells? Is the motor drive accurate and dependable? Almost all good to great turntables address the aforementioned issues. At the $500 price point I would expect a turntable to be more than competent in all these categories whether belt drive or direct drive. I wouldn't plunk down a lot of money on a turntable just because it had 'X-brand' cartridge and stylis. Buy a good quality platform with the ability to upgrade, or more accurately, expand. You may end up using different cartridges for different styles of music. Above the $250-$300 price range most any brand turntable has a tonearm that has a quick disconnect /connect headshell mounted cartridge, whether straight or s-shaped. Just get a good solid platform; plinth, platter, tonearm and drive. You can upgrade cartridges at your leisure and make no mistake, the cartridges are going to have the most obvious impact on the sound above a certain price point.
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