Help me make a decision! Turntable overload

Pay a lil extra and go for pro-ject classic or a used thorens td125 or td160. 

@shadorne ,

"Not looking for resolution from vinyl" ..Wow!

In my opinion the difference between 1 through 3 were minor at best but 4 stuck out like it hurt. That being said, I would have liked to hear what the various arms sound like on a popular piece that we all are familiar with. Although, 1 through 3 all sounded very good it would be interesting to compare how that front end compared to my much more modest front end.

I can say that after listening I was not in a rush to go out and buy the arm, or any variation of it. It made me reflect on what an amazing value I have in my system. I think Mike’s front end cost well over $100,000. Upgrading from what I have to his would be like burning money. I would need to be a multi-billionaire to get any dollar per sound value from it.

I’m not saying it is not the best front end around. What I’m underscoring is that the difference between the best and very good is getting smaller.

So, today we have now entered a new era. No longer is the "best the enemy of the very good" but, rather, "the very good has become the enemy of the best"!

Raymonda, wrong thread.

For the OP, I totally agree with those who maintain that the best bang for your buck would be to buy vintage.  But taking that pathway requires a certain level of sophistication, understanding of circuit design and of how products interact, and willingness to tinker. Those descriptors do not seem to match with your own characteristics or desires. Therefore I think you did the right thing to buy the pioneer turntable new. I would then advise you to proceed to buy the Ortofon bronze. Or any other very good moving magnet or moving coil Cartridge in your price range. I also agree with Chakster  that you should stay away from the denon moving coil cartridges, because they are very low in compliance and will not be a good match for the tonearm that comes mounted on your pioneer turntable. You will learn more and more about this stuff as you go along, and it is never too late to experiment with great sounding older equipment.