would you bother?

I bothered to get a turntable and have found that I could have done without it. It is a bit of a hassle and the need to attend to it is frustrating.

The reason I got my table in the first place is probably the same reason for your inquiry, it's the unknown. We could read every review and opinion written and still not know for sure what it is all about until we get it home and live with it.

I still believe I can live without it, but I am much better for the experience. I think it is necessary if you wish to get an overall clearer perspective of the many aspects of this audio hobby.

many thanks for your responses.i am surely not rich but do know a friend who can swing a discount for vpi gear.my small town has no vinyl retail store however the internet seems to have a great deal of online record shops.my pre-amp-m3a audible illusions-is phono ready,so it's at least a start.

I would forget about it, unless I had deep pockets and a lot of patience.

It all boils down to software availability and that boils down to several factors...

1. Are you prepared to wait for the few new releases to come out on LP vs. CD?

2. Are you prepared to pay a premium for LP reissues of music you may already have on CD?

3. Do you live in a large urban area with several used records stores?

4. Do you have the time and patience to scrounge around these stores on a regular basis?

5. Are you into 70's-80's rock as opposed to classical and jazz? (There seems to be a lot more competition for the good stuff in the latter genres.)

6. Are you prepared to spend time and resources to rejuvenate your used record store finds?

If you answered "yes" to three or more of these then it is probably worth the plunge.

It costs very little to get into vinyl in comparison to CDs. There was a used LP sale near where I live, this weekend and every LP was $1.00. How much do CDs cost? You don't need deep pocket or a lot of patience, just the maturity of an adult (which some AudiogoNers seem to lack).

Turntables are not extremely expensive or difficult to set up but they sound a lot better than CDs. I have $3500 in both my CDP and my TT and there is little comparison between the two. LPs simply sound better, but it is not nessesary to spend anywhere near that money to get LPs to excede CDs.

For less than $500 you should be able to get a competitive TT setup. Used LPs are easy to find and fairly cheap, unless you buy them on AudiogoN, then you will get gouged.