Advice and recommendations needed for a turntable rig...

@2psyop Now you have revealed the circumstances that happened and the Vinyl Collection being given to yourself, I’m confident there is a few things you can do to make the most of the legacy gifts you are now the Custodian of.

The Link is a very good place to learn about Vinyl Care and Rejuvenation.

I strongly advise the section on Manual Cleaning only, is the info learned and adopted to bring the inherited collection of Vinyl LP’s to their most purified cleanliness, probably since the day they were pressed.

Knowing your source material is in a pristine condition, is one of life’s little pleasures when one is taking a time out to enjoy a Vinyl Replay.

I’m sure it is one activity, your friend will smile at, as they are looking down on this world. If vinyl properly takes a bite, there will be plenty of other humorous moments that will follow.

PACVR-3rd-Edition

This one, SP-10 mkII has the wonderful Acos Lustre GST-801 arm

There are some good suggestions here however in my opinion and experience I would never buy anything from ProJect again. Engineering and build quality at the higher end is poor - you can do better.   

@2psyop … My condolences on the passing of your friend. What a great opportunity to inherit their record collection. To answer your post… I’ve owned and used many different turntables over the years, and every VPI I’ve spent time with have always impressed me. My main ‘table for the past 15 years is the VPI Scoutmaster Signature. There have been times where I considered “upgrading”, but I haven’t auditioned anything (within a cost range of $4k - $7k) that compelled me to move on from the VPI. I appreciate “solid, simple, and reliable” to go along with “great sound” (of course!). I agree with others here who have suggested working in a record cleaning machine of some kind into the budget. I use a Spin Clean followed by a few rotations on a vacuum machine. It works well, and was relatively inexpensive. I’m using a Soundsmith Zephyr III MI cartridge, and a Music Reference tube phono preamp. Also, don’t be discouraged by those who find it necessary to seek out “vinyl threads” to try to put down the medium, and those who enjoy it. It’s really not difficult to use and maintain a vinyl playing system. I guess it’s possible that they either haven’t bothered to set it up properly, or maybe they’re super lazy. Who knows? But I am always drawn into the music more when I’m listening to my records than I am with any other source. To each his own, but my preference for vinyl has stood the test of time, so I’m sticking with it. Best of luck to you in your quest!

Not relevant, just to show this cool thing, in Bavaria, local pickup

has dust cover