Happy with digital, but thinking about vinyl--looking for system specific recommendations


I just upgraded my dac to the Chord Qutest which seems perfect for my system.  And in the months between that order & its arrival, I also found a great deal on a Croft Micro 25R (already had the basic 25 preamp).  Since it has an allegedly excellent tube MM phono stage, it seems a shame to not make use of it at least occasionally.  I don't have much experience here, so I'm hoping for some ideas of what might be a good match to my system (ProAc Studio 148 speakers, First Watt M2 amp, Cardas Neutral Reference IC's & Anticables 3.1 speaker wire), preferably the least expensive turntable/cartridge option that's still good enough to make me want to actually not just click 'play' on Tidal. Thanks.


gnostalgick
The least expensive option may not give you what you want. You could look out for a used vintage table like a Thorens 160 or up your budget to a Rega 3 etc. 
I have a few Croft amps including a 25R. I would strongly recommend swapping out the stock tubes for Telefunken ECC83 or Shughang 12AX7LPS black. Nagaoka MP110 is a good starter cartridge. 
Thanks for the opinions so far. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned least expensive, and instead said a good value that matches the rest of my system.  From what I've heard, I agree that a Rega 1 is probably not quite there (though it was in a more entry level system than my own).  

@noromance 
I'm currently using some 60s RCA tubes in my pre instead of the stock.
$1500 would be easy to do before the end of the year. But I’d rather save more & wait a little--if necessary--than not be impressed with my purchase. That said, if it’s too much more money, I'd be tempted to just further upgrade my digital chain (which I use daily).
The big mistake many make is to think that vinyl and digital will sound the same. Tied to that, many think that different turntables from low priced to high priced will have different SQ levels similar to the gradations of SQ as you go up in price on digital gear. The truth is that vinyl always sounds different than digital and that less expensive vinyl sounds nothing like top-tier vinyl whereas the difference in sound between less expensive digital and state of the art digital-though significant-is much more "compressed". So first and foremost, before spending your hard-earned money-readjust you expectations. The top three contenders are probably the VPI Scout, the Rega Planar 3 and the Marantz TT-15 and you can't go wrong with any of them but among the three, the Marantz is the sleeper. It is a rebadged Clearaudio that offers a few extras for the price. It has better speed accuracy and a better tonearm than the Rega and it is less finicky to set up (right) than the VPI. With all three, you will need to budget another $600-$1000 for a very good cartridge. But don't forget-you need a good perfectly level stand and there is a formidable learning curve when it comes to proper TT set-up. Your last sentence about clicking "play" on Tidal suggests that convenience is important to you. That does not bode well for your interest in vinyl.