Does a turntable make a DRAMATIC difference?

I think it comes down to what YOU can afford, what YOU consider a major difference and is it worth the cost?.

My first TT was a record changer with a ceramic cartridge. I made a brush which I taped to the end of the arm and it made what I considered to be at that time a major difference. The brush seemed to hold the cartridge which had more high frequency, air. Eventually I ended up with a Sota, separate arm MC cartridge which costed $3,5000.00  in 1992 dollars.

The improvements  I believe were less major but the total increments although slight are wonderful, in imaging. So in the end you'll end up living with it.

Also all the eventual choices and decisions in choices of turntables, arms, cartridges. cables, ect. ect. good luck make it fun and be happy with YOUR decisions!

I don’t really understand the folks on this thread who say a good turntable makes a difference.
 

Do you need to spend $100K? No, I guess about $3K should do the job.
 

FWIW, I have a VPI HW MK IV with SAM, a Sumiko Premier MMT arm, and a Koetsu Onyx. It’s been working for me for a couple of decades. 

Yes. 

Not saying you have to spend $100K or near on a turntable, but once you've heard an exceptional turntable setup on a suitable system it's apparent that there is much more to a fine table than just spinning at the proper speed. Analog playback is a system of accurately measuring the signal recorded in the groove and creating an electrical signal which accurately recreates it. There's a lot of technology involved in the process which has been refined over many decades. Just being more expensive doesn't necessarily equate with better performance but truly high end performance and being able to achieve it doesn't come cheap. Of course you can still enjoy a lesser system but once an elite performer is heard it's hard to go back.

I’m not super educated on newer equipment, I’m older and therefore prefer vintage equipment, over the years I have been fortunate enough to keeping trading up and up and up to where I am now. I’m running 1963 “The Fisher” 800 C AMP, Turntable: DENON DP 62L with a Audio-Technica VM760SLC cart , speakers are Cerwin Vega  D-3 . As stated I’ve traded up from low end pioneer receivers, all kinda of turntables, and speakers and I can say I have heard a incredible difference, with my current set up I’ve heard things I’ve never heard before, so I think the answer is yes you can get a dramatic difference listening experience in upgraded equipment.