Got a New CD Player and Now I'm Bummed

Thanks everyone for giving me some things to consider. I really appreciate the advice and will take a look at some of the turntables you all have mentioned. I think I'll begin there and then explore a preamp/phono preamp to replace the SP16. To respond to the question posed by Dre j, here is how I would describe the difference between my Scout and the Esoteric:

The Scout sounds muddled, slow, recessed, veiled and lacking resolution compared to the Esoteric. When comparing the same recording going from vinyl to CD there is a huge difference. The Esoteric is so much more revealing, involving and dynamic. The bass is much more weighty and the treble has way more air, speed and delicacy. About the only thing I can say about the Scout is that recordings that tend to be bright or edgy come across more pleasant and listenable than on the Esoteric, which really brings out the worst in a bad recording.

All in all I find myself gravitating to my CD collection (which is much smaller) and listening less to my LP's.

I agree that comparing $8K and $2K front ends is not really fair and that is why I feel the need to invest similarly in a new turntable. To bring it back to where I began this thread, given the potential of CD's and vinyl records, how much should I plan to spend to get equivalent sound from my records that I am getting from my Esoteric?

BTW, I am fine with the discussion veering off to the pros and cons of various turntable designs--very helpful indeed. Thanks for asking.

Dodgealum
You could also consider the Clearaudio Performance table($2800) with the magnetic bearing. Change the cart to a decent MC, say the Dyna 17D3($895) or the XX2($1850) and round it off with the great sounding Aqvox Phono2(EUR949).

I also rate the Galibier option highly, with Thom packaging the Serac with some Dyna carts even: $4700 with the 20XL and $4900 with the 17D3. You should even ask if he packages the XX2.

I rank the Aqvox phono much higher than its price indicates, I think its a giant killer.

Either of these options (if setup optimally) will easily outperform the X03. Disclaimer: I have no financial/personal interest in any of the above products.

Dodgealum,
I've followed this thread for awhile and am still puzzled as to why you're hearing the dramatic difference that you are. If you're willing to spend about $10 and a couple of hours of time, I would at least try a different arrangement to be sure the problem is in your analog rig. First, move your coffee table (or some other suitable table) over near your cabinet. Buy a 1.5x20 inch bicycle tube and a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to fit your tt. Place the tube on the table and the plywood on that and inflate the tube SLIGHTLY - just enough to raise the plywood shelf a bit. Now you've got simple, but effective, pneumatic isolation. Then put the tt on that and get it perfectly leveled, and hook it up and play it. If the differences are still dramatic, you've only spent a few dollars and some time to determine that you need to upgrade or change - at least the cartridge. If they're no longer dramatic, you know you need to relocate the tt. A second idea is, are you sure the Esoteric player isn't coloring the sound in some way that you consider pleasing? Is it a tube unit?

the vpi scout is supposedly a well-designed turntable and more than a few professional reviewers seem to think it performs well above its price level. perhaps even throwing a blanket over the front of the cabinet to shield the turntable from air-borne vibrations would help to resolve this issue. a damaged stylus or a malfuntioning phono-stage would also be something to investigate. if everything is working as it should, the turntable should sound "different" than the cdp, and perhaps not quite as revealing, but it should still sound like music. the only thing i find with my aries turntable is that rock and roll alblums that i used to like sound tinny and poorly balanced, while a decent classical recording or a blue note sounds pretty darn good.
but since i upgraded to a very good digital front end, i can listen to either source, vinyl or cd. they sound different, but i get used to either one very quickly. now, if i get a $20k turntable i would certainly expect some extra information to pop out of the grooves, but with about 500 alblums and about 750 cd's, i'm kinda happy to leave well enough alone if you know what i mean. and heck, cd's have been getting awfully good in the last several years, with hdcd, sacd, dsd, 4d, 20bit, etc. then there are giant-killer cd players out there as well as turntables for less than $3k that get the job done. oh, and PS- i do not hear the belt on my turntable or motor noise or wow and flutter; the jmw arm tracks just fine thank you. i do have the sds-controller but i'm not aware of any dramatic improvements in the sound from adding it over the vpi-plc. AND PSS- the esoteric cdp's in other threads get trashed for sounding too analytical and even "harsh" when compared to competing cdp's- go figure...

French fries, I can confirm the substance of Doug Deacon's remarks after going back & forth on my VPI TNT between thread drive vs. stock rubber bands, with and without PLC and Mark Kelly's AC-1 two-phase speed controller. The rubber bands don't cause problems that I hear as obvious wow & flutter, but they do contribute to sugglishness, bass slurring, lack of focus, discontinuousness across the frequency range, and edgy treble. This is all improved after conversion to a drive belt made of less compliant material. A good speed controller improves things further by reducing warble in piano music and revealing rounder & more textured instrument body and more precise spatial cues. The Kelly controller is way ahead of the PLC in this regard. Getting the strobe to read spot on is an ancillary benefit of a speed controller.

As the Scout is a close cousin, I can only assume it will benefit from some of these changes. The more I tweak around with TT drive trains & platforms & siting, the more I believe that forum discussions (and some manufacturers' upgrade paths) tend to over-emphasize the role of platter and plinth weight & material in determining the gestalt of vinyl.

I do agree with you that after a certain point of refinement, the differences remaining between CDP & TT are more of kind than of degree.