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.
