I need your help. I have an ARC Ref 3, ARC 110, Vandersteen 5As, but no turntable.

Regarding the phono section:
A good phono section will reduce the number of ticks and pops you hear without curtailing bandwidth.
An excellent turntable to consider is the Technics SL1200G. IMO its weakness is its arm, but its arm is competitive with many high end audio tonearms. But if you want to put a better arm on it, it can be done. The 'table part is very nearly state of the art- the platter is damped, the plinth is rigid and damped, and the platter is one of the most speed stable made anywhere at any price.

Regarding arms and cartridges: the ability of the arm to track the cartridge is far more important than the choice of cartridge! So pay attention to that compatibility aspect and you will be rewarded.

Again thanks to ALL of you for responding to my question. I am getting quite an education and hopefully make some better choices going forward. I will be having help setting up the table from a local pro and learn more from him so that I can manage future tweaks better. I will post my choices for follow up. 

The ARC Reference 3  a magnificent phonostage. So is the Ref2.
Shelter and Lyra make terrific cartridges.
I have a Linn table that I love, but there are a lot of good ttables out there. No question that matching arms and cartridges gets tricky. 
Good luck 

OP

target budget ???
the guy who built your speakers has a Lyra Atlas, Triplaner, Bardo on HRS platform....

phono preamp tubes he built himself...

hard to really help you without target $$$$$

Dear @jaym759: The analog alternative is the more imperfect way to listen MUSIC and due to those inherent medium imperfections is way hard task to achieve good quality performance.

The issue is not to have a some one that help in the overall analog rig set up but that each audiophile must be learn by his self and in that learning time we have more falls down experiences than success. That's means not only time consuming but means spend higher money too.

It is way easy for a newcomer to make several mistakes especially in the begining like you because you really don't have any knowledge level on the whole subject that can help you to evaluate in the rigth way all the advises/recomendations/opinions coming from other analog audiophiles/audio distributors/reviewers/manufacturers and the like.

Today the digital alternative puts any one nearer and truer to the recording and from live MUSIC. I'm a MUSIC lover with over 7K LPs but I accept the digital superiority at today technology levels and enjoy it too.

If you want to go  ahed is up to you. The TT/tonearm advise @fsonicsmith gave you is really good. Read here about:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/gem-dandy-polytable/?page=3  

G. Merril is a very well regarded designer and Jelco is a manufacturer that between other makes tonearms for Ortofon, Audioquest, Koetsu ( vintge. ) Sumiko. Jelco is not a TT manufacturer  rookie " as many gentlemans here could think.

In the other side the worst place to use tube technology is precisely in a phono stage nd it cn be proved easily. Forgeret biased tube lovers or biased tube mnufacturers. If you goes for tube units this will be your first huge mistake. For years I used it, not any more and for very good reasons.

Btw, how many LPs already own?  which are your MUSIC/audio priorities through your system.?  what are you looking to achieve?


R.