TT/ cartridge recommendations $1000

At the risk of inducing a littany of negatives (don't care), I'll give my .02. To answer the question of whether or not a *good sounding* (subjective assessment) TT/arm/cartridge can be had for this system, I'd say probably not. Why would you set your sights so low for the front end after putting together a pretty damn decent pre/amp/speakers?? I firmly believe in putting the lions share of resources into the source. I'll steer clear of cliches' here, but I would strongly recommend taking additional time to save, scrimp, whatever and put about 3k (if possible, but at least 2K) into a good analog front end. Oracle, VPI, Linn (god forbid), Basis etc can be found used in this price range, and the musical satisfaction wrought by the additional investment will well be worth it in the long run (IMHO). Cheers, -John

Musicdoc.I disagre.For 1K used I bought a Well Tempered clasic with the Clasic tonearm and a BenzMicr Glider with low hours on it.
I have had CD/DAC combos worth 3/4k which where trashed by the 1K viynl rig.

Thanks for all the feedback folks. You're right Music Doc I have but some bucks into this system. I don't want to totally cheap out on this but on the other hand every person has their limits and $3K is just too much for a new front end for me. I might spring for $1500 at most. Most of my listening will still be CDs.

Could any of you share your thoughts:1) on a Rega Planar 3 with the Rega Elys cartridge vs the Shure V15VxMR vs a Goldring 1042 ?
or would I be better off to

2)Go to a good reliable source(dealer) for a used Well Tempered or VPI ?

Thanks again. I have learned a ton on Audiogon and appreciate all the thoughtful comments. Big O

leafs, yer analog rig will compete succesfully w/the best redbook cd rigs out there, at *any* price.

bigo, *definitely* go used, yer ears will thank ya for it! ;~)

doug s.

Leafs: Your situation is indeed a rarity, and I'm happy for you that you scored a good rig on the cheap.
Bigo: If you're willing to go 1.5K, then I'd advise using something like a Grado Prestige series cartridge on a 1.5K used table and arm. You can always upgrade the cartridge later when funds allow. Perhaps a good used table and a new Origin Live modified Rega RB-250 would fit the bill.

Come to think of it, another line that you may consider is the Eurokit (renamed Scheu) tables marketed by Audio Advancements. Their entry-level table with an O.L. arm might fit the budget, and all indications are that they sound pretty good. Just a thought, -John