Rlips,
It seems to me that you are contemplating committing totally to analog without having ever tried it.
(Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, btw.)
I love analog, and certainly recommend it, highly in fact.
However, you seem to have decided that analog is something that everyone likes. It is not. Some people can not stand the hassle of cleaning records and having to be ever so careful with their vinyl, lest it be ruined by scratches, dust, pet hair, etc... Some people after awhile dislike the little pops, clicks and background noise that is a fact of life with analog. (And no, these things don't bug me, but it does some people.)
Might I suggest that you try out analog on a smaller scale, rather than going all out? (Even buying used, you stand to lose quite a bit of money if you don't like it, if you purchase the kind of equipment you mentioned. And you really stand to lose a bunch of money on records, as new vinyl is very costly, and used vinyl is always a source of frustration. (Some used record sellers grading systems need to be adjusted, a lot!) Don't give up on CD's either, as not all music is released on vinyl. (Such as Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" - It still has not been released on vinyl after it has been out for many months on CD. Bastards!!!)
I would suggest that you get something like a low end Teres model or a used Basis or even a mid-level VPI (i.e. like a scoutmaster), a Shelter 501 or 901 cartridge, and used Aesthetix Rhea. (The phono preamp is not where you want to go cheap though, IMHO). The total cost would be about one-third of what you were thinking of spending, and yet it would give you 90-95% of the analog sound of the more expensive setup you were considering. Try it out for a few months. If it works for you, then upgrade. (If you buy used pieces carefully, you will be out only a small percentage when you sell them to upgrade. (Which given your apparent budget would be almost negligible. Plus, you can upgrade at your convenience, piece by piece, which makes it more enjoyable as a hobby, at least in my opinion!
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter, which are worth every penny you paid me for them!
Good Luck in your search.
It seems to me that you are contemplating committing totally to analog without having ever tried it.
(Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, btw.)
I love analog, and certainly recommend it, highly in fact.
However, you seem to have decided that analog is something that everyone likes. It is not. Some people can not stand the hassle of cleaning records and having to be ever so careful with their vinyl, lest it be ruined by scratches, dust, pet hair, etc... Some people after awhile dislike the little pops, clicks and background noise that is a fact of life with analog. (And no, these things don't bug me, but it does some people.)
Might I suggest that you try out analog on a smaller scale, rather than going all out? (Even buying used, you stand to lose quite a bit of money if you don't like it, if you purchase the kind of equipment you mentioned. And you really stand to lose a bunch of money on records, as new vinyl is very costly, and used vinyl is always a source of frustration. (Some used record sellers grading systems need to be adjusted, a lot!) Don't give up on CD's either, as not all music is released on vinyl. (Such as Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" - It still has not been released on vinyl after it has been out for many months on CD. Bastards!!!)
I would suggest that you get something like a low end Teres model or a used Basis or even a mid-level VPI (i.e. like a scoutmaster), a Shelter 501 or 901 cartridge, and used Aesthetix Rhea. (The phono preamp is not where you want to go cheap though, IMHO). The total cost would be about one-third of what you were thinking of spending, and yet it would give you 90-95% of the analog sound of the more expensive setup you were considering. Try it out for a few months. If it works for you, then upgrade. (If you buy used pieces carefully, you will be out only a small percentage when you sell them to upgrade. (Which given your apparent budget would be almost negligible. Plus, you can upgrade at your convenience, piece by piece, which makes it more enjoyable as a hobby, at least in my opinion!
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter, which are worth every penny you paid me for them!
Good Luck in your search.