Turntable recommendation

Rega RP-1 and Schitt Mani.  Plenty good for a serious start, upgrade later if you get the bug (listen to all your records first and enjoy the great sound, then upgrade with the RP-1 Performance Pack ($250) and listen to them again).

Next stop will be $2 – $3k.  The average sane person will never feel the need.

Get a Record Doctor (about $220) as well.  You will be good for a long time!

Just Don’t get the Ortofon Red..................spend the few bucks more and go for the Blue...Much better musically and detail wise.

very good question. I kept most of my records from the 60's and have about 1000 now. And agree with others, you will need a RCM at some point. I used to clean mine by hand - total PITA, even for an old retired guy. Even new records must be cleaned - part of the process. As others have stated, this can get addicting. But its fun, and its great listening to lots of new music from all over the world - I just discovered Discogs and there are a TON of great classical records for next to nothing - just got a copy of Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations for $30 incl shipping. In any case, you will need to figure in TT, cartridge, pre-amp + RCM. If your current setup includes a pre-amp then you will need to check that the pre-amp matches the cartridge. Most MM have an output of around 2-5mV vs .2mV or so for a MC cartridge. In your case, MM would be a great entry point, or MI. In any case, matching the cart with the pre-amp is essential. As others have stated, used is a good option also. Anyway, good luck with your decision, whichever way you go. I much prefer vinyl for the listening experience. I rarely listen to music as background. I do have a couple of new friends who are <30 years who have just started vinyl - I need to ask them how they listen ie background or actually sitting and listening, which is what I do.

@op, the best solution is to buy worn out records cheaply and look at the LP artwork and sleevenotes while streaming. I'm only being slightly facetious. A small collection of LPs is going to cost north of €1,000 and a decent vinyl source will cost at least the same i.e. to the standard of a Rega 3 TT plus cartridge plus phono stage of some kind. You could make a significant improvement to your system for that budget without diverting it into another source that, while sounding different, won't necessarily sound better.