TT+tonearm under $5k

Check out the Raven One also

Buy a used table/tonearm. Shipping is generally safe but if you're dead set against it, consider a road trip and pick up. Even if you must drive 4-8 hours, the savings will be sufficient enough to pay dozens, perhaps hundreds, of albums.

However, buy a new cartridge. Unless you know the seller, the used cartridge market is a minefield. I sincerely doubt every cartridge for sale has "less than 100 hours of careful use" as seems to be the case.

Good luck.

Absolutely buy used, especially since you are getting into vinyl. If you don't like it, then you won't take such a big hit if you want to sell your equipment.

Shipping an old TT is always a problem since usually there isn't a box and the owner hasn't a clue about shipping. However, the types of TTs on sale nowadays are simple and rugged, and the people on AudiogoN (generally) know about TTs and shipping, and lots of us keep the boxes.

Buy a used TT here on A'goN...the only way to go. Hell, just today I saw a used Basis 2001 that fits your bill...mighty tempting!

I often suggest buying used as the best way to go. But with the budget of Viper_z and the availability of the Serac this becomes a no brainer. Disclaimer, I'm a very satisfied Gavia owner. Your getting the same bearing and motor as the higher priced Galibiers and tape drive to boot. Absolutely no speed stability issues with this drive system and it is battery powered giving very quiet operation. The PVC platter is very much like a Basis 2500 I once owned, only not damped with brass. This is much better than an acrylic platter, which a Basis 2100 has (I owned one of those as well). I would think that it is possible to upgrade the Serac platter in the future. The extra weight and TPI surface of the Gavia and Stelvio platters will drop the noise floor and increase bass response, among other things.

The Raven could also be a good choice based on the reviews it is getting. I have no experience with that table.

I can second the Galibier Serac - It would be a very good start to get into analog. I personally visited Thom in Denver last spring. At the time I was able to compare the Serac platter and Stelvio platter on the Gavia table (the Serac table was still in development at the time). The Serac with platter is good but the Gavia and Stelvio are in a different league altogether. The Serac platter looses a little of the dynamics that makes the Galibier Gavia and Stelvio so special in the high mass category. I would seriously consider the platter upgrade next if you get the Serac.

After thinking about my last turntable upgrade for 1-2 years (and of course listening to many many tables) I ended up with the DPS turntable table last summer. It may be a little out your price range and but for me it offered much of the solid sonic foundation of the high mass designs in a much more compact format. In addition, I felt that DPS was very close to the Galibier Gavia and Stelvio in terms of dynamics, rhythm and timing with excellent layering of the soundstage and separation between instruments.I heard many of the top end VPI table and in my experience and for my taste the aboveDPS and Galibier tables are a full step up altogether.