Kthomas,
You're absolutely right about the large number of variables involved in a vinyl setup. Unfortunately, these days even if you buy new and pay a dealer for the initial setup there's no guarantee it will be done right. The audio industry mainstream abandoned vinyl twenty years ago. A whole generation that might have learned how to do it right was lost, and the people who used to know are few and getting fewer. There's just not enough business to earn a living at it, but some dealers who no longer understand what they're doing may still take your money. (Of course others will do a good job. The problem is knowing which job you got. For that you need the DIY knowledge you could have begun acquiring from the get-go, for free.)
Having one or more things wrong in a newbie setup is likely enough. I've certainly been there, done that. But learning and hearing what various adjustments do and how to optimize them is a vital part of the experience. It makes you smarter.
From the thoughtful and foresighted nature of your question, I'm guessing you have the interest and intelligence to learn by reading, asking and trying. You already understand that vinyl is not plug and play, no matter what anyone's ad copy claims. That's a critical first step that some people never take. They throw thousands of dollars at very costly rigs, which never play up to their potential for lack of careful adjustment by the owner.
Try viewing the last half of Michael Fremer's vinyl setup DVD. (The first half is a waste of time, unless you'd enjoy a rambling tour of his record collection.) For a few bucks it will teach you how to do a reasonably good setup with no obvious or major errors. Resources like this board and the FAQ's on VA will also help. You'll be free to invest all your audio budget in better equipment and more music.
Doug
You're absolutely right about the large number of variables involved in a vinyl setup. Unfortunately, these days even if you buy new and pay a dealer for the initial setup there's no guarantee it will be done right. The audio industry mainstream abandoned vinyl twenty years ago. A whole generation that might have learned how to do it right was lost, and the people who used to know are few and getting fewer. There's just not enough business to earn a living at it, but some dealers who no longer understand what they're doing may still take your money. (Of course others will do a good job. The problem is knowing which job you got. For that you need the DIY knowledge you could have begun acquiring from the get-go, for free.)
Having one or more things wrong in a newbie setup is likely enough. I've certainly been there, done that. But learning and hearing what various adjustments do and how to optimize them is a vital part of the experience. It makes you smarter.
From the thoughtful and foresighted nature of your question, I'm guessing you have the interest and intelligence to learn by reading, asking and trying. You already understand that vinyl is not plug and play, no matter what anyone's ad copy claims. That's a critical first step that some people never take. They throw thousands of dollars at very costly rigs, which never play up to their potential for lack of careful adjustment by the owner.
Try viewing the last half of Michael Fremer's vinyl setup DVD. (The first half is a waste of time, unless you'd enjoy a rambling tour of his record collection.) For a few bucks it will teach you how to do a reasonably good setup with no obvious or major errors. Resources like this board and the FAQ's on VA will also help. You'll be free to invest all your audio budget in better equipment and more music.
Doug