The best way to start adding A=analog to my system

@clearthinker, I know where you are coming from. The problem with new music is that there is SO MUCH GARBAGE mixed in it is hard to find the talent. It use to be hard to get a recording contract. You had to be at least 1/2 decent. Now any one with a computer can make noise and get it published. You have to wade through it to get to the good stuff. My point is the good stuff is there and missing out on it is IMHO not a good approach. Groups and people that do concert videos are most usually talented. I watch a lot of these. I got into Arctic Monkey's and Modest Mouse via a concert videos. Jazz is much easier than popular music. You Tube videos and NPR's Tiny Desk concerts are another way to spot modern talent. 

I use to buy records because I liked the cover and I got introduced to some great bands that way but not any more. My kids recommend a lot of music and their taste was programmed by me so that is certainly another reliable source. 

@saulh , I am one of those immediate gratification people and having wasted a lot of money this way I continually have to bite my tongue. I know you REALLY want to play records. You have a target to shoot for. Aim directly at it and try to avoid the deflection shots. I think you will be much happier in the long run. Playing records is a real PITA. You have to really love the sound to make it worth while. Your system demands a quality of turntable I previously mentioned. Don't compromise. You risk making yourself unhappy with the results wasting money when in the long run it would have been considerably less expensive to bite your tongue and hold on till you can afford the real deal.  

@saulh , you have a very nice system, Cheaping out on a turntable would be a big mistake. Good systems will make a bad turntable sound worse. A turntable/tonearm combination that would fit in with your system is going to cost a minimum of $9,000 and that is not including the cartridge which will be another $4000 plus and we have not gotten to the phono stage yet. 

If you are not ready to spend this kind of money yet I would hold on and continue saving. Buying something you are going to be unhappy with is a waste of money. Do it right and do it once. I think the perfect table for you would be a Basis 2200 Signature with a Vector 4 arm. That is around $15,000. You could probably get it down to $13,000 with the right dealer. Cartridges are disposable items so if you have to save money get a Lyra Delos to start and down the line get an Etna. 

I'm assuming you do not yet have a record collection. You have to seed a collection at the start. Put $1500 aside to buy 50 or so records then buy an average of a record a week. If you just buy a few records at the beginning the tendency is to listen to them over and over. You get bored with them and they get worn with frequent playing. Down the line you buy a few more record which you wind up playing the same way. You  build a collection of worn records you are bored with. If you buy 50 to start and continue adding on you will always have new music to enjoy and will build a collection of pristine records.