getting into vinyl

Looks like I'll need a phono pre and a turntable any suggestions on a pre?

So your going down the rabbit hole, huh?

First thing to is to realize that a TT is as much a precision machine as it is an electronic component. This being said, $500 is not overkill for your first TT - its really just the starting point if you want to get a decent modern, new deck. You have to pay for precision.

The TT’s you mentioned, along with entry level units from Pro-ject and Rega are a good place to begin. They are all simple manuals, belt driven and come pre-equipped with MM cartridges. Also consider the new U-Turn Orbit that is built in the USA and can be custom built from their website. A fully loaded model will come in around your $500 budget. If you don't have a phono stage yet, the U-Turn Pluto is a great phono preamp.

I would stay away from the myriad of cheap TT’s, all being built by a Chinese company called Hanpin, and marketed under the names of Ion, Gemini, Stanton, Pioneer, Reloop and even Audio Techinca.  And stay away from any TT with a built-in phono stage - these are usually very cheap, noisy and designed as a plug and play solution.

And last as the above poster points out, it would be good to know someone already familiar with vinyl to help guide you. If not, take your time and learn as much as you can before you buy anything.

One last word...there will be many recommendations to buy vintage, mainly from the 70’s. The biggest reason being the extreme quality of these machines back in the day. And they are right but keep in mind that all these TT’s are pushing 40 years old and will still require some degree of repair or at the very least, a thorough cleaning of their internals. That means opening the unit up. If comfortable doing this, great - there are bargains to be had. If your not and must take it to the shop, you have exceeded its value, so stick with new. Also, the vinyl resurgence is driving up the cost of these vintage TT’s too.

Good luck on the journey - a properly set up analog front end can sound amazing.

paraneer+1
Buy a new turntable.This looks like a nice inexpensive phono preamp!
https://www.musicdirect.com/phono-preamps/pro-ject-phono-box-mmmc-phono-preamp

A Pioneer PLX will wipe the floor with any of the budget Regas, MHs or Pro-Jects, even if it is possibly (no definitive proof) made by Hanpin. 

Whenever I see this question, I usually recommend getting a table in the > $1200 range. $1200 because that's where turntables almost universally offer precision machined parts and good sonic performance. The plinths and platters are heavier and better damped, the bearings are higher quality, and motors are typically quiet in this range.

 If you only want to adopt the medium for playing a dozen reissues of your favorite albums and the hipster factor, (like many kids are doing) then you'll do fine with something like a U-turn Orbit. Anything less is basically a toy.

The "rabbit hole" often begins when one is looking for better sound quality than what CDs offer. The common misconception among many folks who are just beginning with this medium is that it's interently better than digital. In the case of some recordings, that can be true. However, analog rigs that sound better than CD playback in terms of dynamics tend to cost thousands. 

If your goal is to simply get some analog "warmth," (with analog sourced pressings) it can be achieved with budget rigs, but I wouldn't expect any jaw dropping experience in terms of other sonic parameters.

It can also be a "rabbit hole" if you're someone who always looks for the weak links in your system.

Thanks everyone looks like I'll have to save a while longer and up my budget a lil to achieve what I'm after. I have Krell system with Tyler Acoustic Decade speakers which is very revealing so I'd have to get a run of the mill TT and be disappointed so I'll just save more and look into a 1200-1800 budget. As far as a phono stage what do you guys recommend?