Getting into Vinyl...

Thanks everyone....Not sure what MM or MC is, I have an idea...Moving Magnet, or Moving Coil??? Either way, I have no idea why it is important-sorry. Whatever it is, I want to know, as I don't want to learn I missed some very important detail after I purchase a set up.

So SS or Tube phono pre?

It's time for you to start searching and reading the forums here. You will find ss and tube units in your price range. Try searching for something like "low budget phono stage" in the discussion forum.

I'd suggest that you listen to Elizabeth. And that you pick up an inexpensive SS phono preamp. (The Rega P1, I'm pretty sure, comes with a mounted cartridge, so you'll be using what they give you. Which will be a moving magnet.) You'll find people here who will scare you off of vinyl. (Though I don't believe that's their intent.) They will tell you that you need doctors from Africa to look at your stylus and that you've got to stand on your head while you clean your records on a machine that has been blessed by a Zen master, and that when it is raining three states away you'd best not play your mono LPs or all of your hair will fall out. Stuff like that. They are probably right about at least some of what they say. But you can go down all of those road when you desire. I started with a decent little 'table and a decent little cartridge and less than a decent little phono preamp -- and I really really really began to enjoy listening to vinyl again. And now I've got a better 'table and a better cart' and a better phono pre, and I'm liking records more than ever. The point -- at least from here -- is that you shouldn't be scared. Records sound great and they are tons of fun. (I'be prolly bought 100 records in the past few months and maybe six CDs in that same time.) Remember that this is supposed to be fun. And about music. And then spin the black circle.

I think a SS pre amp is a fine choice. I would set a budget that works & search in that range. Analog is (for me) the most fun. There is so much you can do once you get an idea of what you are looking for. I would look at all the usual suspects in addition to the Rega's plus I would also look at a Rega 3 or up, you have a nice system & you will want a deck that will allow you to enjoy all your system has to offer. While I am sure the P1 is a fine sounding deck it may not give you all that your system is capable of. You also need to figure out whether you want to purchase new or used, used is a great value. I am on a Thorens kick at the moment but there are plenty of other choices.

I currently have a Cambridge Audio 640p pre-amp & while I am considering an upgrade it is only so I can hear what another model has to offer. I don't feel I am missing anything but as we all know in this hobby there are so many different aproaches & every brand sounds different.

Read all you can read, get an idea of what you want to spend & once you buy everything the real fun starts. Finding music is the real treasure of the hobby, I know I love the feeling of coming home with something I have been searching for & spending a quarter of what I would have spent if I bought a CD.

PS- MM is moving magnet & MC is moving coil, at this point worry about finding a MM, it will allow you more options with lower priced pre-amps. MM is usually high output allowing pre-amps with lower gain to drive the signal to a reasonable level while MC is usually low output & requires more gain or a step up to achive similar vollume levels.