Amazing...

Bo you would most likely be better served by initially going with an entry or mid level integrated setup whereby everything fits together for you. After you become familiar & more comfortable, then you could either move up, or upgrade what you have.
Myself I have a reasonable level of experience, yet even I wouldn't try to piece something together as you propose. Having the senior members here help you out with recommendations for a complete setup is your most likely path to satisfaction IMO.
One could recommend the VPI HW-19 series as a good starting point with a flexible upgrade path; many options in that regard.
Specifically the HW-19 MKIII or HW-19 MKIV, which is where I started.
I'm sure there are others too but I couldn't say what... No offense, but I will say that at the Pioneer receiver level you really shouldn't get too carried away; the equipment just isn't all that capable.
You will need a higher output moving magnet type cartrige (vs. moving coil) for compatibility with your rcvr.

Unfortunately, the manual for the Pioneer receiver doesn't list phono stage gain. I would assume, therefore, that a moving magnet cartridge would be required.

Remember to configure the receiver for Direct Analog operation. Home theater receivers will usually convert analog to digital at the input stage (for the various surround processing modes). You don't want that.

I'm actually surprised to see a phono input on an A/V receiver. They were hard to find for a while. It's good that you've got one, but it may be of fairly dubious quality. The fact that the phono stage isn't listed in the specs is a hint towards that assumption.

If you find you're enjoying playing records, adding a good outboard phono pre-amp would probably be a good first upgrade.

Hey there Bo:

Just wanted to put in my quick $.02 about the Pioneer Elite that you had. I just happened to pick it up this past weekend (Best Buy, open box sale) and I did hook up my TT to the phono stage as well as using a phono stage (Musical Surroundings Phonomena) to do an A-B comparison. The Pioneer phono stage was lacking a lot of detail and clarity when compared to using a separate phono stage. But I will say that listening to the records via the separate, the amplification and detail were surprisingly decent. Very warm sounding, sometimes a lil digital and bright, but after all, it IS a Pioneer.

So if you're looking to get a TT for this, regardless of the TT setup, if possible budget an extra $200-250 on getting a phono stage also.

Also, FWIW, the 94txh is an awesome HT Receiver too. You have efficient B&Ws so I can't even imagine that sound. I'm using Maggies and they definitely got more punch to it than my old receiver.