Turntable recommendation

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.

I happen to be budget constrained. My main turn tables are old, but very good for their time. I think my Kenwood KD 550 was around $400 (Tax refund) it was a demonstrator and it came with a Shure V 15. So I'm going to recommend an entry level Rega or Pro-Ject. A Pro-Ject Debut Carbon just replaced my dedicated Mono TT. I found a "as new", with a Pro-Ject phono amp for substantially under $500 (But the darned shipping!" Phono cartridges at the five hundred level of turntables will probably come with a Ortofon 2m Red, which can be upgraded to an elliptical 2m Blue with a stylus change, but not cheap. The 2m Red is a acceptable cartridge. Or a Sumiko. For occasional use don't get bogged down in the esoteric BS, for your purposes elliptical or spherical isn't an issue, Orbit has a USA made line of entry level turntables, and their Orbit Theory is a consideration in the magic $999 field. Vinyl might not be your thing, it demands physical participation, it's sort of an immersive thing. If you do like records, well then, the world will be your oyster. Used record stores Discogs (a great place to learn, buy and sell) 2nd hand stores (I include antique stores here, and even flea bay...). You probably are not going to start out with rare and collectable LP's, no reason to spend crazy money. You won't need a 1K ultrasonic record cleaner.... a couple of you tube vids should get you going on basic TT set-up,  record cleaning, care, etc. Enjoy!

I cycle through streaming, CDs and vinyl on a daily basis a few times a week. I don't have a huge vinyl collection, it's very focused on certain artists and certain albums I love. The same goes for my CD collection. I think a REGA P1 plus would be a good option w/ the integrated pre-amp. Doesn't break the bank and gets you above most entry-level phonographs out there. And you can easily upgrade cartridges as time goes on at you and your wife get more into spinning vinyl.

Eventually you may find yourself upgrading the deck with a separate phono pre-amp which then opens up the vinyl listening experience even more - rediscovering things you may have missed on albums you're familiar with and finding new ones to enjoy. Just be careful...it's contagious and you soon find yourself on Discogs or perusing local shops for albums that aren't on streaming platforms or old favs you forgot about.

I enjoy listening to certain albums on vinyl / CD more so than I do streaming the same. As others have said, it's a different listening experience as it's more intentional than streaming IMO. Honestly, if you could I would start w/ something in the $500-$1000 range and work up from there after you've had time to decide if you love the vinyl experience. And your initial investment is not over-the-top.