I recently picked up the Denon DL-110 from a seller online for $115 USD - it's a really fantastic cartridge. I installed it on my Pro-Ject Xpression III turntable and I couldn't believe the difference in sound it produced vs. the shitty stock Sumiko Oyster cartridge: bigger/wider soundstage, deeper, richer bass, a huge improvement in the treble/upper range and it eliminated both the sibilance and inner groove distortion that I was experiencing with the Oyster. It's a really excellent high-output MC cartridge, especially for the money. And here's the kicker - I'm done with upgradeitis since I picked up this cartridge. I no longer wonder if I should have sprung for a P3 or prowl Audiogon for cartridge deals...I'm just kicking back and really, truly enjoying all the vinyl I've been scoring. 

I'm using the Rega Brio 3's built in MM phono stage and am getting great results - I'm not sure if the Fono MM stage is the same as the one in the Brio? If it is, it should be a pretty nice little phono preamp.

And, unless you're hell bent on dropping a good amount of cash for the TT, I'd also recommend demoing/looking into the Xpression table, I've been really happy with it as well and the price falls right in between the RP1 and RP3 - around $700 USD. It's a very nice quality table that I'll be sticking with for quite some time. 

With this combo, my analog output sounds a lot better then the digital output from my CD player.

Good luck in your set up!

I called it 'thiness'...there was no body to my Thorens 170/Zphono combo through my Onkyo receiver...I added a Grant Fidelity tubed buffer (simply because I had it) and it was like listeing to a new system. It made a bigger change than replacing the receiver with Emotiva monoblocks...

http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Tube-Processors/

At under $200, it is hard to go wrong here...

You didn't mention your other components, but take a read below of a review of the Rega stage (emphasis added by me):

"The Rega Phono MC prefers classical music to pop or jazz. In the Beaux Arts magnificent set of Haydn's Piano Trios [Philips 6767 415] the violin tone is small but sweet and bright and the definition on the piano is superior, with faster transients than the other units. It locates the instruments more precisely and had superior heft in the bass. Electric bass comes out clear and strong, but Thelma Houston sounds too strident, and the percussion is too aggressive for comfort, while surface noise is emphasized on quiet recordings. The all-important midrange is a little recessed with this cartridge. Overall the soundstage is shallower and narrower than its peers. The dynamic range is quite impressive at this price, but it does not convey the warmth and sense of ease of the Tube Box."

The full review of a bunch of entry level phono stages can be found at: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1104/phonostage.htm They didn't hate it by any means, but they definitely pointed out a few aspects that could be major factors depending on your sytem.

This says to me that if your system is already more on the neutral or analtical side at all, the Rega phono stage is going to make that a lot worse and sound exactly as you thought. Plus, you should have had a much bigger change in sound when you switched TTs and cartridges IMO. This is the variable that didn't change, correct? See if you can borrow another phono pre-amp and then decide on TTs and the like.