Clueless Analog Newbie, Looking to Buy

Knotgreen,

I can certainly vouch for the quality of the Dual 500 series. You can easily find one on Ebay for around $25 to $50 (the one I listen to most is a CS522 with AT130E cart). I also own the Pro-ject debut with Ortofon Om10 cart and enjoy the table quite a bit. I just ordered the speedbox mkII and will report on the differences when it arrives. Start whenever you're ready. It really is one of the most enjoyable hobbies and the reward is definately worth the money and tweaking.

You own a Teres turntable, an Origin Live Silver tonearm and a Denon DL103 cartridge. A pretty sizable investment.

And it took me 10 years, 4 companies and and MBA to get there. I like nice things, and I'm not going to apologize for that. Do I need this setup to enjoy music? Nope. Not at all. Do I apprecaite the design, the history, the build, and the fact I can call the guy that build my table should I so care to? Yes. And I'll pay dearly for that privledge.

Tell me again, how does this make me a snob? There is a price point for every music lover, and there is a product at damn near every price point. I don't disparage anyone's means or priorities. On the contrary, I find workable solutions where you offer nothing but discouraging words.

I have a "music lover" freind that has 10x the LP collection I will ever have, and have been using the same Technics SL-1200 that I picked out for him back in Jr. High (mid-80's). He loves that table and will use it until he dies.

I have another "music lover" friend that owns his own record label that uses an AT table (the same one I recommended) an could not be happier with it. Again, he'll probably use it forever.

I have "audiophile" friend that wouldn't be happy no matter what was in his system, as he's chasing that "absolute sound."

OP doesn't sound like an "audiophile". He sounds like a "music lover". We could use a few more of those around here. And if someday he wants to upgrade his system, provided he can afford it, God bless him.

Besides, who are you to define what is "satisfying" for him, and how long this "satisfaction" will last?

"Or should I just stick with CDs?"

I agree with Tvad in the objective sense that inexpensive TTs do not sound as
good as inexpensive CDPs. To do better costs a lot of effort and money.
There is a bigger, more personal picture, though. There are a lot of people
(and I know them) who are interested in sound quality but are not
audiophiles. They perfectly enjoy their turntable rigs as do I when I visit them.
I was at a party recently where to my audiophile-dork dismay the record
player was playing on top of the a large PA in the back yard. Sounded fine - I
enjoyed the music.

One can, as people do, enjoy "inexpensive" turntables, often for
indie music playback which wasn't recorded at Carnigie anyways. The
playback will definitely give you a different mix/sound than CDP. You just
have to be clear on what your goals are and audition a table in your price
range to get a sense the sound quality. Also with what you are looking at,
depending on the specific model, you will not need much in the way of
accessories.