The "cost" of trying vinyl is not in the friction of buying hardware used for $1000 on Agon and then reselling it for a few dollars less after having spent a few or several months learning about setup, figuring out that your first choice of cartridge (done on a budget) just doesn't cut it, buying another, researching to find another one, cleaning records, wasting Saturday mornings at yard sales, pissing off your significant other with the new mess and distractions, spending more time surfing Agon and the Vinyl Asylum trying to figure out how to spend a few hundred dollars more to reach nirvana, etc. It's the "cost" of the time if you later deem it to have been a waste.
You may have to temper your expectations a bit for $1000. It is not impossible to get decent vinyl sound from that kind of money (assuming the phono stage is already in the pre), but beating an excellent and expensive digital system playing through excellent amplification for that budget is a tall order.
You may have to temper your expectations a bit for $1000. It is not impossible to get decent vinyl sound from that kind of money (assuming the phono stage is already in the pre), but beating an excellent and expensive digital system playing through excellent amplification for that budget is a tall order.