Turntable - Where do I start ?

There are a number of reasonable turntable/cart combinations available new for $300-$1000 that will do a very good job of making music. While the $2-3k budget you're looking at will definitely move you into a higher quality sound (and Twl's suggestions above are excellent in this price range), its not entirely necessary to 'start out' at this price point. Rega, Pro-Ject, and Music Hall all make fine lower priced tables that are worth considering for folks that want to get their feet wet with vinyl.

used Sota!

I just got the Wilson Benesch Circle setup, complete with arm and cart - all works together really well. I couldnt' swing the Teres 255 and Triplanar arm (+ ?? cart) that I wanted, right now, so this is holding me over fine. Certainly a great setup, gets me 90+% of the way there for about 1/2 the price of the above setup. Retail is about $3k, I believe. very well made stuff, from what I can tell.

-Ed

My .02 as a "Vinyl Prodigal's Son". You already have a great analog front end, so put half to 3/4 of your budget into a good phono stage. As for the TT, you mention that you want to listen from time to time so I would start conservatively. But the audiophile in me also recommends that you keep in mind an upgrade path. That's where the Music Halls fail IMHO, and I have a MMF 7. Great table for the money but there is not really much you can do to improve it once you get used to it's sound. But maybe you won't want to as many owners of these TTs have said.

What ever you decide, enjoy the great analog experience!

Dan

I was into turntables quite heavily some 12 to 13 years ago, mostly VPI, Oracles, and Linn with a few Aristons, systemdek's and thorens. Back in those days great sound could be had with a VPI HW 19, SME V or (IV) and a sumiko virtouso high output moving coil. One thing is for sure the tables all sound very different. IMHO a VPI with a recognized good arm (you need to check the bearings in older arms by gently rocking the arm from the headshell in a side to side twisting kind of motion(very,very gently) to check for any play, the bearings should be tight with no perceptable motion. I would skimp on the cartridge initially if it means getting a better arm and table. The cartridge can always be upgraded later. I say the VPI because the lightly sprung tables often take alot of work to set up and can be very finicky. One thing I cannot stress enough is cartridge alignment. You must use an alignment device and experiment with the VTA, any arm withour VTA (vertical tracking angle) adjustment will probably never sound focused, have the correct tonal balance or soundstage, low level detail will also be compromised. I have been out of audio for awhile and cannot make any suggestions with more recent equipment which I can only assume has gotten much better but these are a few things to conside while you shop. Good Luck finding a good deal and Happy Listening.