Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.

You have the same table I have.  The Carbon Debut, wasn't happy with the setup.  Tried cleaning the records with a cheap cleaner, under $100.  Was tired of all the static and pops.  Upgraded to a VPI classic 2 with a  Ortofon Quintet Black $3800.  Was not happy with the sound thru an old NAD stereo receiver.  Upgraded to a Parasound Pre and Jolida Phono preamp.  Have not changed a thing except for speakers, but that is a different subject.  The reason I went with VPI is the classic is built like a tank, not much to go wrong with it.  Wait for an online closeout or buy used.  Enjoy your 25 albums and stream new music to find something you like, then buy it on Vinyl.  Buy Mo-Fi albums and return the ones that sound bad.  Invest in a new cleaning machine and your set, til you want to upgrade something.  Enjoy, life is too short.

Listen. Just buy the VPI. I bought a lesser model for more, and am happy. The unipivots have a learning curve, for sure, but the curve applies to any arm in the future, so good education there. 
No, wait....send me the info on this table so I can buy it. 
Seriously,  upgrade your cartridge first. Transducers make the most difference in any system. I strongly recommend SoundSmith. I had crackling in my system. Thought I damaged my Zephyr MIMC. Peter Lederman called me on a Sunday! to discuss my problem! Turns out it was too much gain from my phono pre. All good. 
Understand that with a great cartridge,  most ticks and pops ride under the music, not inside it. 
I still listen to digital, streaming my own ripped CDs and from Qobuz. I get restless after a few minutes.  I put on an LP, and am content.

Dear @jeffvegas :  I'm a music lover and an audiophile and own 6K+ LPs.

From some latest years digital alternative already outperforms the best and high prices analog alternative, no matters what analog ( LP. ) is no challenge for digital that every " day " is growing up with better digital technology when analog stop to develops up-grades because it's from years at its limits.

Do it you a favor and invest those 4K in the best DAC you can find out and you will never turn your face back to analog. Analog is only for the ones that as me own thousands of LPs but certainly not for you. Enjoy the MUSIC with a better DAC. Period.

Btw, if it's true that an unipivot tonearm can has lower bearing friction it's true that to carry the cartridge ride in the grooves modulations is the worst kind of tonearm bearing due to unstability. Cartridges needs dead stability in the tonearm bearing with low friction and all gimball type of tonearms due that job way better that any unipivot and does not matters the price of that unipivot.

As I said do it your self a favor and invest in today and future MUSIC enjoyment through the digital alternative.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear jeffvegas,

The decision to where to invest/spend your $$$ is a very personal one - its what's makes you happy - how do you define you destination or your journey.

Digital music has matured to a music presentation all its own.  There is little value in investing in a CD player - the best CD lasers like the swing-arm Phillips CDM4/Pro with German glass optics and 50,000-hr life are history.  Better to burn CDs to FLAC or WAV and use a fanless laptop as a music player with free music player software such as MediaMonkey.

The current future (and as digital it is always subject to change), of digital music is streaming with the current business model of subscription service - how many streaming services will survive is debatable since I believe that many are not yet profitable, but something will survive.  But, consider that if a Hi-Rez music file can be transmitted from a remote physical storage facility (i.e. server center) through 100’s if not 1,000’s of miles of combined fiberoptic and copper cable, through connectors, repeaters, amplifiers; maybe a fiberoptic to copper converter at your home to a router all using 1,000’s if not 10,000’s of circuits, processing by 10,000’s if not 100,000’s of lines of computer operating/BIOS/firmware code, and emerge at your home server bit-perfect be it a lap top or dedicated server, the whole argument of home hardware evaporates, leaving nothing more than the DAC. With the Benchmark DCA-3 (as an example - $1700 for DAC only) essentially being engineering perfection (with I believe a 5-yr warranty) its is plug and play; one and done.  You cannot argue the life-cycle cost of digital music streaming.

Vinyl is anything but plug and play; one and done; it is not about convenience.  It is journey with every step yield personal satisfaction and some frustration, all to get that uniquely analog music experience and presentation that no doubt there is the pride and the allegiance that one achieves from putting in the effort to get it right.  There is a lot to learn and a lot to explore, and if you buy smart - there is a pretty clear upgrade path.  If you buy the VPI Scoutmaster, first VPI still supports it, if you need a new arm pivot or a new motor they have it.  There is an upgrade path to the heavier aluminum platter, different feet, the JMW-10.5 arm and base, the dual-pivot, and each one will improve incrementally the music which then drives you back to re-listening to all your vinyl albums, again and again.  If you were to buy the Soundsmith Carmen MKII cartridge that is on-sale at Elusive Disk for $699 - this is an awesome cartridge for the money, easy to drive, quiet and they will rebuild it for $199.  So, your cartridge life cycle cost is $199/1000-hrs.

Now, if you add up what I just discussed - DAC (Benchmark - new) $1700, Turntable/arm (VPI used) - $1500, Cartridge (Soundsmith Carmen - new) - $699, total cost = $3900, add $100 for turntable incidentals = $4000, right on budget with a 5 year plan for possible turntable upgrades.

Just one opinion, but I gave up on investing in digital and invested in vinyl for the very reasons just stated.  Its your journey and its your experiment, make it your own.

R/Neil

Yes.  Absolutely.  Great sound and the joy of collection new and old albums.  Nothing I like better than spending $8 on ebay or discogs for a near perfect 40 0r 50 year old LP.  

I started seven years ago with a Basis 2500 table and a Dynavector MC cartridge.  It sounded so much richer than my  Esoteric X-03se I have virtually not played digital at home since.

You are approaching this the right way.