orpheus10
Ok, so the cheap turntables you heard produced what you perceived to be flat pasty sound. That's your anecdote and totally valid for you if that's what you perceived.
That's far from what I got from my original turntable. And that is not a description I hear from most who have bought a turntable. In fact "spacious" "warm" tends to be common descriptions. I have read tons of reports of people who have just got in to vinyl and it is almost uniformly a report of enthusiasm if not outright joy! Reddit is a great place to see plenty of people just getting in to vinyl. I don't remember a single report of someone getting in to vinyl, buying a player (at least better than a Crosby) and reporting "actually, the sound stinks, I'm giving this up and going back to only digital."
It's weird that you just can't accept someone may like something other than what you like. And that's ok. You don't have to save anyone from having a good time enjoying modest turntables. People have different preferences and criteria and goals, and that's ok. Are you this much of a spoil-sport about everything, or is it just turntables and vinyl?