Recommend an Entry Level Turntable

Hey,

My system consists of a pair of B&W 630's, an old Denon 50 watt reciever (DRA-550) from the mid 80's, and an old Sony Multi CD Changer from the early 90's.

I am very happy with the speakers, happy with the reciever, but would like to upgrade the source.

Now, I recently purchased an Oppo 105 Blueray due to raving reviews on Audiogon and elsewhere and while it is MUCH more detailed, I'm beginning to think that might not be a good thing.The unit sounds a bit thin and shrill to my ear(cymbals etc). I also demoed a $1000 Rotel (last year I forget the model # either the 1520 or the 1570) and I remember thinking the same thing - Much more detail, but a bit shrill (in particular the high end)and that it didn't sound 'natural'. It sort of makes me cring slightly. Some people claim that 'burn in' helps in this regard, but I'm a novice and am not sure if that's accurate.

Also, last year I also demoed a Marantz CD5004 ($350) and I think I might actually like the sound better than the Oppo and Rotel. Particularly with Rock Music.

I also, after reading a thread about an'all cd players sound the same' dispute, tried my cheap Samsung blue ray player (I bought the cheapest one I could find <200) and to be honest I was pretty amazed at the sound for the price. Not as detailed, but more natural sounding in my opinion.

All of the above cd/players blow my old Sony multichanger out of the water in terms of bass/detail and overall sound. I attribute this to a drastic improvement in technology in the mid 90's. But, oddly enough I think I might prefer the cheaper players and that they may actually sound more like true analog/vinyl to my ears.

Anyway, this all has me thinking about buying a turntable. I know true audiophiles seem to prefer vinyl and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good one at a reasonable price (< $500). I have a bang and olufsen from the mid 80's that I'm not at all happy with and was wondering if there was a similar improvement in technology in regard to turntables? What should I be looking for?

Also, does one need a more powerful and or higher quality amp/reciever to really make a turntable 'sing'?

Thanks and please forgive me for my long winded post.