Justin has made a good point. I would only buy used or a demonstration model if the seller guarantees it, brings it and sets it up for you. Where I don't agree with him is his remark that TTs affect the sound at least. Not so to my ears, especially as far as bass rendition and dynamics, as well as the rendition of transients are concerned. I went from a Thorens to an Oracle to a Goldmund to a Micro Seiki to a Goldmund Reference, old model and then modded that with a new bearing and a few other things and every step made a tremendous difference in the entire tonal presentation. So I would advise you to be careful in choosing, best try to listen to a few brands and setups before you decide. Accept any help you can get and don't rush things. Digital is easier to set up to sound good, though also not without its pitfalls. With analog, to get it to sound right you have to learn a lot and learn it fast, otherwise you might be opening a can of worms.
However, it is worth the effort, believe me and the rituals about playing an LP are much more satisfying than just plunking a CD into a tray an pushing a button, because if you want to get your LP to sound really right, after you have perfected your setup, you'll have to buy a record cleaning machine with all the necessary unctions, which to concoct properly is an arcane science by itself.
However, it is worth the effort, believe me and the rituals about playing an LP are much more satisfying than just plunking a CD into a tray an pushing a button, because if you want to get your LP to sound really right, after you have perfected your setup, you'll have to buy a record cleaning machine with all the necessary unctions, which to concoct properly is an arcane science by itself.