The best way to start adding A=analog to my system

This is great news that you have approx’ a quarter of a Cartridges Life (if all goes tickety-boo) in source material to replay.

One more suggestion, if you can have a small selection correctly cleaned LP's, and compare the impact of the cleaned vs un-cleaned on the stylus, there may be enough evidence to convince you the collection could be a candidate for a little TLC.

Methods employed that improves the condition and cleanliness of the LP, will create an ideal interface for the Stylus and this ’should’ also produce an extended usage life for it.

It is a better equation financially when replays are extended with the usage life of a Cartridge.

A $800 Cart’ as 600 hrs of usage prior to needing to be changed is $1.33 per whole album as a rough average, @ 1200 hrs of usage prior to needing to be exchanged the replay is $0.66 per whole album as a rough average.

Some the places where you might be looking to be offered a demonstration of a TT, might be able to offer a cleaning service for a selection of TT’s whilst you are at the premises.

The disciplines that can be adopted in conjunction with LP Analogue Replays, has a few extra needs to be considered and time made for.

@mijostyn thanks for that info. You give me a lot to think about there. I eventually I plan to get to what you are talking about, but I definitely need to figure out some baby steps on the way there. That way while I am en route, I can listen to some lps.

@pindac I was planning on getting an Okki Nokki or something similar to clean the records regularly.

@saulh , I am one of those immediate gratification people and having wasted a lot of money this way I continually have to bite my tongue. I know you REALLY want to play records. You have a target to shoot for. Aim directly at it and try to avoid the deflection shots. I think you will be much happier in the long run. Playing records is a real PITA. You have to really love the sound to make it worth while. Your system demands a quality of turntable I previously mentioned. Don't compromise. You risk making yourself unhappy with the results wasting money when in the long run it would have been considerably less expensive to bite your tongue and hold on till you can afford the real deal.  

I understand what you have heard and want. I have owned turntables for over fifty years. At first analog could not be duplicated at any cost with digital… then it could but at a huge difference in cost. The differential has been reduced year by year. At this point you can get the “same” sound out of digital for not much more. But like anything… it takes effort. You have some very good equipment. Whatever the sound you liked, you can get through digital… and likely for the same price or less than getting into vinyl.

Getting into analog will require a turntable and phono stage… plus buying record and a record cleaner. To try and abstract this: A turntable with cartridge and a Phonostage should cost each roughly the same as your preamp and amp… which should be on the same as DAC and Streamer. These need to be carefully chosen, not just some random purchase… obvious this is a generalization… but my system ended up pretty close to this (see my UserID). The phono stage is really important.

So as a quick review of your system. I would invest in a great streamer (Aurender is my choice… it is all they do).. if that doesn’t do it then trade in the CD / Player / DAC for a great DAC (or CD player / DAC). A great streamer (stand alone is required for audiophile sound and it should be an investment similar to amp or preamp a bit less than speakers.

In my system vinyl and digital sound the same. There is no “vinyl character” that sounds better (although I know this difference as for most of my life it was obvious)… both digital and analog have the same character. One can sound a bit better on on because of mastering.