Finally Taking The Plunge

If I were starting over (w/$2000 +/-) I get a Nottingham Horizon w/Rega 250 ($1000 new), a EAR 834P ($650 used) and a medium mass cartridge of your choice. You'd have to really get fussy to improve on that.

"You'd have to really get fussy to improve on that." Not really. Do some homework!!!

Psychicanimal, Talks cheap - why don't you give the requester a good $2000 system instead of taking shots at me? I don't need another system just now so I'm not doing any more homework but I'm sure we can all learn from you!

How about a VPI Scout/JMW 9 arm combo, coupled with the Dynavector 10x4? That will get you in right around the $2000.00 mark and provide a very satisfying entry to vinyl. If you wanted to kick it up a notch and avoid spending $ on a phono stage to drive a low output moving coil you could look at the Scout with a Dynavector 20X high output. The 10x4 is HO as well. The above mentioned Shelters are great but are also high compliance and might not mate well with the VPI arms. The Scout offers a great upgrade path, great style, easy setup, very easy to maintain. You may, with the purchase of the Scout/JMW/Dyna 10X4 even have enough money within your range to get yourself a record cleaning machine as well. Properly cleaned LP's, even older ones, take on a whole new life on my Scout/Dynavector 20X setup. I am rediscovering my entire collection again, including old pressings from the early 70's of my college days. This is despite the fact that I have had analogue rigs the whole time. I know the Scout is no where near state-of-the-art, but it is an enormously satisfying entre to vinyl if this is to be your first setup.

Newbie, there's plenty of my threads stored in the archives, but for starters a tube preamp in this price range will simply be too noisy. Definitely out of the question.