I echo a couple of the early posts that recommend a used DD turntable. I have 7 Denons, of which 3 are being used--good ones from the 80s will run for years, and the servo arms take care of a lot of worrying about cartridge matching and so on. Some like the 47 have changeable headshells, others like the 59 & 60, changeable tonearms. All of which makes installing a cartridge easy.Don't be scared off by things will go bad on them. If they run now, they will run for awhile, at least long enough for you to know what you want to commit. I also have 2 belt TTs, a SuperPoly, and a VPI. The Superpoly is elegant, simple, and you will hear higher end cartrdiges better on it than the Denon DDs. But I'd start with a DD, Denon or Technics, used. And go from there. Under a certain dollars figure, all the phono amps are shades of gray--I have 6 different ones btw $350 and $1,200 retail....all bought used for half that. both tube and SS. They all sound good. The convenience of a decent MM cartridge on a Denon 47F will have you playing more and fussing less. The next step up is a re-tipped Denon 301 or 303 or other lightweight cartridge, Grado Ref Sonata, on a Denon 59,60,or 61. Then it's the VPI or SuperPoly with adjustable VTA with a good arm, and heaver MC cartridge. If you are guying new records and get trapped by the 180g stuff, you need two different mats, one for regular vinyl, and one for the 180g to keep the VTA right (way easier than fussing with even adjustable VTA).
