Recommendation for analog set for $700

I have a number of cartridges that are more than 20 years old that still work perfectly. I havent yet had a problem with suspension drying out or collapsing. Maybe thats more of a problem in the desert, but our humidity here in Florida does not cause a problem with suspension decay. So long as the stylus is still in good shape, the cartridge should play as its supposed to. You can always replace the stylus at Soundsmith.

A Sony PSX 60, 65 or 70 is a good vintage table, as well as PS6750 and PS2251. Any of the Technics SL1200 variations that have not been abused by a DJ. For your budget you can probably also pick up a Rega P3-24 with cartridge or AR ES-1.

I would go for the Music Hall MMF5.1 that Questforsound has up for $695. You will get a warranty and dealer support, that you definitely need unless you're really experienced with turntables. It comes ready to go with a cartridge and dustcover and sounds very good. I would not fool around with an Oracle or anything that needs professional setup, unless you are experienced with that sort of thing. For a phono preamp, Questforsound carries the Music Hall for like $175 and I'm sure they have others in the under-$200 range. Enjoy.

I've been thinking about the same thing for my brother in law to go with his Almarro 205a and Omega speakers. Does anyone here know how good the old Micro Seiki BL-51 or DD40 tables are? Aesthetics are very important for his WAF. I was thinking about pairing either with a lightly used Ortofon 2M black for about 1k. Then maybe budget another 500 for a used phono. How good would that sound versus a similar 1500 investment in a better DAC (used)?

Latinsamba1, I personally don't think you will get a lot of improvement by upgrading the DAC.

And the more I research, the more I am worried. It seems that a turntable requires a lot of maintenance. It seems the speed may go wrong, it seems it has to be perfectly horizontal, it seems the suspension need to be adjusted ... am I right?

If the answer is yes, is there anything that need less set up or maintenance?

You dont need to get a suspension table, there are plenty of set it and forget it TTs. The Rega RP1 and RP3 and Music Hall are sold ready to go with cart installed.
Speed is not a problem with these entry level tables. You would need to replace the belt after a few years and the speed is so close to spec that as a novice you would never perceive it as off-speed. You can see them at Needle Doctor, they also have a budget TT section.

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