Turntable advise for an analog novice

Like Arch7 said. Save a few more bucks and shoot for a used Scout.

You may be able to upgrade the cartridge as a first step.

I believe that most will agree that an LP-12 in the pre-owned market is about as good a turntable as you will find.

i own an lp-12 hand me down my dad just gave me and am really impressed with what it will do. i have heard really good things about the sumiko line on turn tables.

I owned an LP12 for about 10 years but could not keep up with the upgrades since these were too expensive for my budget (e.g. Keel, Ekos SE, T-Kable, etc...). I ended up selling my LP12 which provided about 70% of the funds to get a new VPI Scoutmaster, JMW-9 Signature, Dynavector 20X-Low, Dynavector P-75 MKII, Periphery Ring, Center Weight and SDS.

In my system and to my ears, the Scoutmaster provides more detail, quieter backgrounds and deeper bass. I also find the VPI upgrades more reasonably priced.

Get a better cart.