We all have different ears, but to mine the vinyl sound is unique but not nearly as convenient as digital. You might consider a rega planar 6 with the Ania cart and rega phono stage. I have owned that in the past and while you can certainly do better, I thought it delivered a lot of performance for the cost. I thought there was a pretty big jump in performance from the 3 to the 6. Good luck!
The best way to start adding A=analog to my system
When I started this hobby, I never thought I would need a turntable, so I didn’t think about phono stages etc. That changed with a recent listening session. Vinyl just sounds better to me so now I am trying to figure out where I need to spend, where I can go cheap for the moment. Should I balance all parts at the same level or begin with one great piece and gradually upgrade around it?
For context, my current system has:
Blumenhofer Genuin FS2 speakers, Art Audio PX-25 power, Audio Research SP16L pre-amp. I have a Ayre Cx5 CD player/DAC and an MD-90 tuner.
For turntables, I have auditioned Pro-Jects Xtension 9, Rega P3 and the Clearaudio Concept. I am planning to listen to the Clearaudio Performance next and based on what I have read and heard, I think that may be the answer. but that is a $2k step up in price. Part of me is thinking just get the better table and maybe the Tracer arm and start with cheaper cartridge/stage for now, vs matching things that are more within budget and then having to change everything later.
What makes the most sense?