Quality required to hear vinyl

6 months ago, out of curiosity I reinvested in vinyl after a 10 year lapse. The differences are not subtle. Last month there was a $75,000.00 turntable sold on Agon but for under 1000 you can put together a respectable analog rig. However it takes some work/maintenance and there is an annoying new set of variables, MM vs MC, SS vs tube phono stage, speed controllers, isolation and other tweeks and more interconnects. Rewards are finding discarded mint records for 25 cents at thrift stores and enjoyable music, but I REALLY miss skipping to the next song with the remote

Bill, what system components are you using now for digital?

My first suggestion is to take your favorite two cd's, then buy the same records, and take them into an audio shop that will let you listen to them ad nauseum, and then decide if you think there is a difference big enough for you to take the plunge.

Once the kids left the roost I decided it was time to listen to the 3,000+ lp's I still owned, and didn't spend as much money on the vinyl rig as the digital one, yet there is a significant difference in many recordings, others not so much.

I'm using a 20+ year old Luxman table that has a good arm on it, and an entry level Graham Slee 2 SE phono preamp along with a Sumiko Pearl cartridge--I've spent more on Cartridges trying to get the sound I like, that's important.

Probably the biggest thing people skip when getting into vinyl is a record cleaner...IT IS CRITICAL, otherwise you've spent money that can't get the most out of the vinyl...even the manual one from Gemalog works great, and isn't that expensive.

When I get done putting the lp's on the hard drive I'll sell you my rig, but that's taking much longer than I ever thought it would.

Good luck

I currently do not have a system. I have looked at them in the past, and now that my business is starting to give me some returns I'm picking up some of the things I've always wanted but never had the $$$ for. I'd like to get a cd player and a phono to play side by side.

I've been looking around (online) for a while, and it seems like the above components would be a good place to start. I don't have a high quality audio store in my area and so I can't try out a bunch of different stuff to see what I like the best.

I'm open to any and all suggestions, ideas, etc...

Thanks!

Bigbillc,
Where are you from?
Maybe someone here at audiogon lives in your area and could assist you in your quest.
I live in the Boston Ma. area.