ANALOG HELP

Rega 1 is without a question the analog buy of the year. The Marantz T15 is a nice table also. If you have $3800 sitting around get a VPI Classic and a Dynavector 20 Cart-and live happily ever after

VPI HW-19 jr but you get the best bang for the buck with the mark IV. Nice thing about the HW-19 is there easy to work on if you are handy, downside is its out of production, upside there are parts available and the manufacturer is a nice guy, very helpful.

i would keep you TT cheap and simple live with it for 2 years then look and upgrade

here are a few things on the 'gon.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1311383458&/Rega-Planar-3-Turntable

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1310056785&/Technics-SL-1200-MK2

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1309632224&/REGA-P2

the good TT's that are nicely priced go fast. I dont know these people selling these but they're not bad prices.

TAKE YOUR TIME

So what is a entry level vpi?

I kept my Rega p3 for 2 months. If I went through the 'vintage street' going for Empire, Thorens I believe I could've kept it a-bit longer.
If you find used Michell Technodeck(entry-level for Michell line) do not hesitate 'cause I would've loved it still.
Other suggestions for VPI entry level ones are also great. Rega table only dissapointed my analogue desire IMHO.

Buy new at a local audio shop. That way, you know what you are buying isn't broken, and you have someone to turn to for help and support.

I want to add about the cleaning. Buy the cleanest vinyl you can find.

Use an audioquest Carbon Fiber brush.

99% of the vinyl i buy this is all i need to make it sound clean and i have a VPI HW17 RCM which i rarely use

A setup and forget such as a used well-tempered/VPI HW-19 is in the right direction...once the arm's are optimized, your on your way.Complicated systems are not necessary to bring vinyl to life. With the money saved load up and collect that's the way I would go.

Last thing, and hopefully I'm not throwing too much out there...

If you're looking into a Pro-Ject Xpression, prepare to budget for a new cartridge immediately. The stock Sumiko Oyster is absolute garbage. Trust me, I lived with it for about a year. Didn't realize how truly bad it was until I upgraded the rest of my system and the cartridge.

I agree with what's been said. Get a 'set it and forget it' table and start collecting vinyl. Amass a good sized collection before spending more money on gear. A lot of people make that mistake IMO.

However, I'll recommend something that goes against what I said...

But good vinyl cleaning stuff. I bought a KAB USA vacuum machine. Eafy worth the money. If you're going to buy a lot of vinyl, you'll need it. Get a hand held steam cleaner too. They're pretty cheap and can be used for more than just LPs.

As far as turntables go, I'd suggest either a Pro-Ject or Rega deck. The Pro-Ject Debut is s great entry level deck, but it doesn't stick around very long in people's systems. Most get the itch to upgrade pretty quickly. Not because it's a bad deck at all, it just is what it is. If you can swing an Xpression, skip a step and buy that IMO. I should have.

Haven't heard nor seen Rega's new RP-1. Looks interesting. It supposedly sounds better than the P2 did. If it's as good as people say it is, you can't go wrong with it IMO.

I've heard a lot of complaints about the Marantz deck. It's made by Clear Audio, which is pretty dependable, so it's got me a bit puzzled.

Thats the best advice yet!!! I am overloaded!!!!!

Get the Rega or Pro-Ject Xpression with Goldring 1012 or 1042 cartridge and read nothing more at this point.

Start small, buy a turntable for around 300.00, a ortofon Red Cart and a cheap phono stage for around $100.

See if you like it. Start buying used records at the thrifts.
See if you like it.

if you do then you need to spend about $600-1500 for the TT, about $500 for a cart and about $700 for the phono stage

Dont rush.

Read stuff here, Vinyl Asylum, and Vinyl Engine till your eyes bleed

Yeah. Buy a turntable with arm and a recommended pick-up. Then you need to do a lot of research. One thing at a time. It's a big subject.