How does a beginner turntable compare to digital ?

Expect nothing in advance - just try it. I agree with the recomendation of Pro-Ject Debut III. Add to this Pro-Ject phono box and Pro-Ject speed controller.

Thanks for all the helpful comments and advices. One thing that makes me want to try out vinyl is the ritual of listening musics through a turnable. After countless hours with computer and lossless music files that you can easily move from file to file at will, the idea of taking care of your records, your turntable and taking time to set up a record to play music seems enjoyable to me. It is like taking care of your pet and it is also like ZEN; living slower, mindful of what you are doing and enjoying v.v.

But then to make all these exercises worthwhile, it is a must that the end music does not disappoint. My goal is to reach a level of music through vinyl that is comparable if not exceed a good CD player such as the Rega Appollo. As I said a above, I don't mind the time taking care of the rig and I do have time budget for that :)

For the start, the Rega Brio 3 I am using has decent phono stage as I heard. Debut III or Rega P1 seems to be an OK idea for an integrated vinyl set-up. But if there is other bargain below 1K that better satisfy my goal above, then I think I will be willing to invest.

I don't have a LP record collection. But I have access to some good used LP stores. I also thinking of buying bulk here in Audiogon or Ebay for a starter. How bad is that idea ? What is the chance of getting some respectable LPs in cheap that way ?

Thanks again, You are all great.

How about an upgrade to Music Hall MMF-7 for my goal ?

I recommend that you purchase Spin Clean to clean those used records. It will made a huge differance in your enjoyment of vinyl. A clean record will sound much better than a dirty one.

Vqlong2000, you wrote: "the ritual of listening musics through a turnable. After countless hours with computer and lossless music files that you can easily move from file to file at will, the idea of taking care of your records, your turntable and taking time to set up a record to play music seems enjoyable to me. It is like taking care of your pet and it is also like ZEN; living slower, mindful of what you are doing and enjoying v.v."

I think you are a perfect candidate for an analogue rig. Now, to answer your original question, my recommendation is that you try and attend a couple of live concerts. Preferably ones with minimal electronic amplification. Great venues, and great performers are an obvious plus, but not absolutely necessary. Local music college recitals, church concerts, will do just fine. Go and listen to the music, not hi-fi effects, and calibrate your ears. As soon as you get home from the concert listen to your CD player using similar music. Do you notice your shoulders relaxing at home as much as they did at the live concert? Those are the kinds of differences that you can expect.