Brand new to vinyl: Help!

I am thinking I should be able to save about $2,000 to $4,000 for a good turntable in about six months.

@thyname If that is the case, I recommend the Technics SL-1200G. It looks identical to the old SL1200s you see on Craigslist, but its an entirely from the ground up new design. It is one of the best turntables made and the arm is not bad. If you go that route, its platter pad is a weak point: I replace them on sight. I would look into an inexpensive low output moving coil cartridge for it and talk to us (if you can't find anyone else) about building a cable that will allow you to run it balanced into your phono section (which is not expensive).

atmasphere,

Great advice as usual !  Thanks 

Darn @atmasphere  you're an Audiogon member before I was born.

Where are you located? 

St. Paul, Minnesota

A long reply here, so bear with me.

Alignment info is discussed in quite a few posts here and you can search on the Web for even more.  Even minor misalignment can affect playback markedly.  The 2M Red is comparatively forgiving, but better alignment is better sound regardless.  You may also want some magnification to help.  I use an illuminated bench magnifier with a hand-held magnifying glass; there are other and more user-friendly solutions too.  

The simplest solution is a Mobile Fidelity device called a Geo Disc; about $50 from anywhere.  It isn't the most accurate but should be sufficient for what you want to do.  It's a single point protractor with arm pivot point reference and precision molded spindle hole.  It's a fast, easy way to double-check a pre-existing alignment.

More precise protractors are often 2 point or elaborate fixture systems that can be quite costly.  Here's a free one:  https://522bb370f5443d4fe5b9-f62de27af599bb6703e11b472beadbcc.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/uploaded_file/uplo...  and instructions to use it:  http://www.shure.com/americas/support/find-an-answer/phono-cartridge-alignment-gauge-how-to-use-and-...

Briefly, 2 point systems mean you are trying to make sure the stylus is geometrically aligned at two points on the platter.  Cartridge alignment is a tedious process, so you have to be patient and take your time no matter what method you use.

For both single point and dual point, you have to start with making sure the vertical tracking force (VTF) is correctly set.  That's 1.8 grams for the 2M series and you'll need a scale to confirm.  If you don't have one, you can get one from Needle Doctor or any number of other places.  The catch is you'll have to make sure the balance point of the scale is near to equal with where the surface of the record would be during playback.  You may need to remove any table mat you may have to accomplish this. The reason behind this is so that the reference condition of adjustment as nearly matches the application condition of playback as possible.

To get an idea where that is, cue the stylus down on a record and look at the height of the contact point relative to the table platter surface edge-on.  The arm wand should also be roughly parallel to the record surface.  Shut the table down, turn the anti-skate to zero, place the scale on the platter, cue the stylus down on it and take another edge-on look.  The arm wand needs to be as nearly parallel as possible to the platter surface when you measure the 1.8 grams on the scale.  There are lots and lots of little nuances folks obsess on here, but you shouldn't.  Your table can't readily be made to address them so fuggedaboudit.

At this stage, you can go ahead and check the alignment.  It will either be right or it won't and you should see it pretty clearly.  Pull out your jeweler's screwdriver and your patience and start working on the cartridge position until you get the stylus alignment right.  I can't emphasize strongly enough:  Do not stress out on this.  If you get tired, have a drink.  If you try again and get tired again, go to bed and tackle it another day.  Relaxed patience is the mind-set you want.

The final stages are checking VTF again and resetting anti-skate to the correct value VTF and anti-skate are covered in your table manual.  Note that anti-skate is another topic of much discussion here - fuggedaboudit too for now.   Last, cue up a listening session to see how it all worked.    If you did it right, you should hear a clear improvement.

The whole alignment thing is why Pro-Ject and others offer tables with pre-installed carts.  Not many folks are willing and/or able to deal with it. For those who are, a whole new world of sonic excellence is often revealed.  It's also where better tables, arms and carts make night-and-day differences.  It's definitely paid off for me, anyway.

Have fun!