From high end digital to beginners analog?

Mike60, you have received a lot of great advice above. IMO it might take closer to the $4K number if you are looking for a table and phono pre. But who knows, there is a lot of good used stuff hiding out there.

When I jumped back into vinyl 7 years ago I used my old conrad jonson PF1 as the phono pre (using the ouput from the tape outs to the line stage). It may take a little more research finding and using a vintage preamp this way but it is an option to consider IMO.

I probably spent $5+K on my first vinyl system inculding a MC step up transforrmer but it was clear to me that it was better than my $7K CD player. On a few difficult recordings maybe not by much.

But I have gone way beyond that now and I am also much better at the TT/arm/cart set up. At this time vinyl playback just kills CD play back in my system. I suppose I could update my CD player but the red book CD standard is a limited format. There aren't any more bits to be pulled off those shiny disks.

If you have the records to play and the desire to hear them it will not be a waste. You should be able to get sound in the same league as very good digital for that price easily. Just do your homework and be smart or find an expert you trust to steer you in a good direction. The gear has to be matched and set up correctly otherwise it could be a waste. Bottom line is you have to do it right to get the good results (no surprise there) but that is not as easy to achieve with phono rigs as with modern digital.

Thanks to all for some truly excellent feedback so far.

I dont think I am necessarily looking to better my CD set up. I am extremely pleased with my rig as it is, but I am attracted to a turntable and vinyl and dont want something that will be awful to listen to by comparison. I am thinking about it as providing a different listening experience that can be enjoyed as an alternative, and possibly lead me further down the analog path.

Another one who took the plunge this year. Had an EMM Labs cdsa (10K new) that was dream digital and have swapped to small dac computer based digital and a Well Tempered Amadeus / Eastern Electric turntable phono preamp combo. Loving it. My buying habits have changed a bunch - exploring 50's and 60's jazz and blues (that I am mostly still in learning mode) now while digital was mostly new releases. I prefer the turntable sound despite battling humming issues and still not owning a record cleaning machine.

Hi Mike,

I will be getting a TT as well in the near future, having abandoned anolog once the cd came in years ago.I can say my TT back in the day was nothing speacial, a Thornes td 350.

I have heard what a good TT sounds like and think it out rates digital ,imho.I started buying records a few months ago to have a collection when I do get a TT.

I would say even if you have no records , take the leap. I did hear a the new Oracle Paris TT which comes with it's own phono stage, arm and cartridge that already come set up from the factory. I heard this at the recent Taves show in Toronto and had a chace to talk to the owner of the company as well. You can use the Delphi 6 power supply on the Paris as well to upgrade the power supply from the satandard one which comes with the Paris.

There are many great TT's out there. This is just a suggestion.