I'm New To Vinyl - Which Turntable Should I Buy?

There are some really good and relatively inexpensive choices out there. My preference is for the VPI Scout/Scoutmaster but regardless of which table you choose the KEY issue is proper isolation. Any competent table will sound fantastic if you are able to remove it from footfalls and resonances introduced by your speakers. Really good tables get better still. I would hesitate before spending a lot of money on a rig if you are unable to mount it to the wall using a Target or similar stand or can utilize some other means of isolating the table. IMHO table sitting on suspended floors (particularly in older homes) cannot be made to sound their best using many of the isolation products out there (Black Diamond Racing, Ginko, etc)--they are merely bandaids that do not adequately address the vibrations your table is subjected to. Basement systems are great in this regard because the table sits on concrete rather than suspended flooring. If you can't isolate then I would lower your expectations about what vinyl can do or simply stick with your excellent digital setup.

Get a VPI Scout. That will include tonearm and have money left over for cart.

I am somewhat unfamiliar with the analog terminology; but I assume that "cart" means cartridge?

Regarding stands and isolation... Is a wall stand the preferred method, or are floor stands better? Thanks.

Whoever above is saying used Scout, I agree. You're unlikely to find one with a jmw10, they ususally come with a jmw9. But they're a really good table, highly upgradeable. Since you need to get a phono stage anyway, get one with mc capability, [approx. 60db gain] and a Denon 103r. You'll be under 2000 with this, depending on what phonostage you buy.

Don't forget record cleaning, and I will say this about the manual record cleaning machines: Cleaning records is, to me, excruciatingly boring and time consuming. If you have a lot of records to clean, the minimum machine I would get is the vpi 16.5 [used 300-400 and they go fast], only because they are slightly easier to use than a manul. If you're just starting out collecting, stay up on it! I have cleaned about 1000 of my lp's. I still have about 2000 to go. I am dreading it.

George3,

Yes, "cart" is short for cartridge.

If you have wood floors over floor joists, wall mounting is preferred, generally speaking. Be sure to bolt into the wall studs or masonry. See the recent www.6moons.com article on wall mounting, for example.

As recommended by others, the VPI Scout with JMW 9 tonearm is a very fine turntable/tonearm combination with a very good and reasonably priced upgrade path. (E.g., upgrade to the Scoutmaster, the Signature version of the tonearm, add a motor controller...) The upgrade to the Scoutmaster (either intitially or later) is highly recommended, but the basic Scout is very fine. Combine this with a medium-to-high-output cartridge of choice (e.g., Grado Sonata, Shelter 501, Sumiko Blackbird, Denon 103R), and you've got a very competitive vinyl set-up.

For record cleaning, my recommendation will be to start with Disc Doctor's Miracle Record Cleaner and manual cleaning procedure. Add a record cleaning machine later only for the added convenience, not for any improvement in cleaning results. (NB: I've used a VPI HW-17 record cleaning machine here for nearly 20 years and wouldn't be without it. But it's the Disc Doctor that makes the difference in cleaning results.)

Good luck on your journey into vinyl!