Analog First Timer.

Before you invest big bucks, why don't you buy a used Well Tempered turntable and arm, find a decent cartridge, and have some fun. After playing with this setup you can decide if it provides a level of listening pleasure that has been missing from your digital system.

If in the end you are not drawn in to the world of analog, you can sell the gear for about what you paid.

Without the pressure of a big investment, you may find the initial fun of analog becomes addictive and will eventually replace a portion of your music library.

I can tell by the equipment that you own that you must have really deep pockets, so I will recommend a world class analogue set-up disregarding cost but still practical:

Turntable: Well Tempered Reference
Cartridge: Lyra Helikon
Phono Stage: "The Groove" Phono Stage from Tom Evans Audio
Design

The Well Tempered comes with its own superlative tonearm. You can spend thousands more for a cartridge, but I seriously doubt if you can better the Lyra's performance significantly. Ditto for the "Groove" phono stage.

Enjoy,
Jojo

i have to agree with albert. i had/have the analog bug. but here are some things to remember (or learn). 1).not all albums will sound better than your cd's. i picked up 400 albums (used) some are worse than cds. 2). you only get half a cd before turning the album over...some symphonies are cut in half and you have to flip the album. 3). the tone arm does not lift by itself at the end of record. (i bought a lifter shortly after the tt). 4). no remote control...no automatically skipping tracks. 5). you have to clean records much more often than cds. 6). really good albums are more expensive than cds. 7). set up is either a labor of love or hell (verdict is still out on this). 8). albums are not as quiet as cds. that all being said.

good albums sound better than cds. much better. they are much more musical and no fatigue. as for recommendations...i would need to know your budget. you cannot go wrong with the vpi tts and arms...nice people to deal with too. i am sure there are other good tts out there also. phono preamps....skys the limit; i strongly suggest you addition them first. i bought an ar ph3 because everyone said it was great (never listened to it). its ok at best. carts i like my shelter 501mk2 (delicate and detailed). 800$ from japan vs 2500$ state side. i am sure there are better....but you can spend 10k on a cart. (you can spend more than that on a wadia).

big thing is that every review on a high end cd states "almost as good as vinyl". heck....i will try vinyl.

sorry for being so long winded. just crossed this bridge a month ago. no regrets. of course IMO.

To start up without dissapointment sufficient and enough to outperform on some records your digital setup will be:

inexpancive J.A.Michell Gyro SE MKIV,
inexpancive Shelter 501 if ordered directly from Japan,
inexpancive RB300 tonearm with Michell VTA,
and I would strongly recoommend BAT VK P5 phono.

I do not think that if you'll go for cheaper analogue setup(Rega P3/RB300/Rega Elys/... for instance)you will outperform your current digital setup.

My digital front end consists of ML #37 + Sonic Frontier SFD2 mk II with NOS tubes. I recently took the plunge and purchased the Michell Orbe SE (a step up from the Gyro) + SME V arm + Benz woodbody M2 cartridge. ($8000 retail total, about the same price as my digital setup) The setup costed me $5300 all brand new. Added the PH3 SE (used, another $1500) to my LS-2B mk II preamp.

The analog sounded wonderful! I've not turn on my digital front end for the past two months. The only catch is finding the software. Classical music are plentiful. You can find them at used record stores or goodwill stores for $0.50 per LP. But you need to learn about different labels to know what to get. Same album could be released several times, some will sound better and some worse than CDs. Jazz albums are harder to find. I just buy brand new reissues which cost about $10 - $18. I did find some original 60's LP. It's like collecting baseball cards, you have to really look to find them in good playing condition.

Oh, and there are accessories. Record cleaning machine is a must. Also record brushes, aligning tools, etc. And all the regimen of vinyl listening: Brush the LP, clean the stylus, then play, turn the LP over, etc.

Is this all worth it? You have to decide for yourself. I find all these pre-listening routines help me prepare my mind to enjoy the music more. And LP collecting becomes a challenging activity in itself.