Well, since you're now talking new preamps, if you were willing to stretch your budget, check out the BAT VK-3i which can be had with an internal phono stage. I have one and am beyond happy with it. Gets you tubes, true balanced design, phono and even remote control that doesn't degrade the sound in a single component. Have seen them in the $1500 to $1800 range, but believe you would be happy with this investment for a long time. BTW, am using a Wilson-Benesch Full Circle for analog, which is very attractive (like sculpture that plays music) and does an awesome job. Picked it up used for $1500, so it's not out of the realm.
Best Turntable at $1,500? Please Advise.
Dear Analog Veterans, I'm taking the plunge, and getting a turntable, following numerous disappointements with DACs (Bel Canto & MSB included) and the digital domain in general. I am new to the turntable arena, and would value advice from any analog savvy Audiogoners out there. I'm thinking of spending somewhere in the region of $1,500 (for table, arm, cartridge and phono stage) but would also value structuring my purchase so that there are good upgrade paths available in the near term (I could be willing to spend another $1,000 about four months from now). I would be most interested in getting something used on Audiogon, so if you know of any good deals in this pricepoint, please feel free to share. I could also consider upgrading my preamp to one with a phono stage (sensible I think). I hope my budget is enough to get me started (let me know if I really need to spend more though). Sound quality is, of course, of paramount importance, but if the table is visually appealing that would be great (more girlfriend friendly :-) Thanks in advance for your advice. My system is as follows: Bryston BP20 Preamp, Bryston 3B-ST Power Amp, B&W Nautilus 805 speakers, Stealth TR silver and PC Premier copper speaker cables (true birewire), Cardas Golden Cross, Kimber KCAG and Homegrown Audio Silver Lace Interconnects.