Turntable setup under $2000?

If new to TT and there setup then I would clearly go with a VPI traveler table. A table that looks great and seems easy to setup and maintain. A table that most likely will keep its value with a company that has excellent customer support. A no brainer for you at this point. The best and enjoy the spin.

I think you may be able to get a new VPI Traveler TT all set up. The only problem might be the phono stage preamp if your amp doesn't provide one. The cost of a phono stage varies widley so yo can start cheaply and work your way up.Alternatively you can easily find a used Music Hall MMF-5 and have plenty left for the phono pre. They usually come with MM carts so the soun d is different than a VPI which are paired with MC carts.

I'd look hard at the Well Tempered Simplex, which is pushing your budget, but it is a superb design (I had an Amadeus).

I do not believe his Exposure amp has a phono section unless he did get the optional phono card. If not, yes he will need to get a phono preamp and can consider getting the Exposure option through his delaer. Its about $500.

WRT the table, I second Mechans recommendeation for the VPI Traveler. I have auditioned this table and its sound and build quality are outstanding for the money, $1300 new. Add a good cartridge at around $400 and now your at $1700. That leaves $300 for a preamp and that should be plenty for a good solid state model to match well up with the Traveler.

I would recommend a Musical Fidelity V-LPS MkII at $180 or the Pro-ject Phono Box S at $200. You are under your total $2000 budget. See, no worries on your way to enjoying the warm, lush sound of vinyl.

Good used HW19 mk iii or iv

You have quite a few great choices in that price range.

VPI Travler
Rega RP6
Clearaudio Concept
WTL Simplex

..and I am sure that there are several more from Project and Music Hall.

If you happen to have a local dealer that carries any of these options, I would take time to stop by and take a listen and see how you feel about setup and use.

VPI and Rega dealer disclaimer.

I believe that your YBA has a phono stage, and a pretty good one at that, but you should confirm that before figuring your final pricing and also determine if it's a MM or MC phono stage, as that will affect your cartridge choice.

Goldprintaudio's advice is sound, I would agree with it whole-heartedly, especially about set-up and use since you claim to be a vinyl newbie. I can say that of the tables mentioned, I have heard the Traveller with an inexpensive Grado MM cartridge which would be well within your budget, and it sounded quite good, particularly with the rock albums that were played on it while I was there. Have not heard the other contenders, but I know they're well-regarded and my past experience with Well Tempered Labs products (my first table was the Well Tempered Turntable, back in 1986) was very positive.

Obviously you will get the most bang for your buck if you buy used and remain patient. A great deal may not be here this week, or even next. Look through the used market even if not buying, just to get a feel of the market. Less than a year ago I picked up a VPI Scout with upgraded Scoutmaster platter and Nordost wired JMW 9 arm for about $1150, added a Sumiko Blackbird cartridge for $450 and have a damn nice rig for $1600.

As a newbie, you may be better off looking for a Rega or MMF table/arm combo. There is less tweaking involved. You might want to look for a nice P5. Personally, if it were me, and I was looking now, I'd grab that Rega P9 that's selling for $1350.

Check your inbox.

Marantz TT-15 S1
$1499.00 list

You might be able to find it cheaper than the list price. Look into this set-up, its got some great components bundled into an easy to set up system.

Good luck

I see that Rega P9 for $1350 didn't last long. ;)
Keep looking, another sweet deal will come along.

Some good advice given, but don't forget the isolation issue. I have springy wood floors and when I got my first tt the mid-2000s (after giving up vinyl in the 80s) it was a total nightmare. I looked at the table the wrong way and the arm went flying. Totally solved by a Target wallshelf, but I just saying - make sure you have a good, stable place to put the table. It is a big part of analog. I vote for a Music Hall MMF7 for your tt. Comes all complete with a nice, pre-mounted cart, a decent arm, dustcover... This should keep you busy for a couple of years. When you're buying your first, you shouldn't have to worry about all these adjustments. Just play records. Later on, you can get into the minutae.

Strongly agree with Elizabeth that synergy between table, arm, cart, and phono preamp is key along with proper setup and isolation (as suggested by Chayro). Given that you are a newbie this would be best achieved working with a dealer. It would also give you the opportunity to listen to tables at different price points within your budget - or maybe even a little less than your budget to see if you notice a discernible difference - some of the more basic offerings by the likes of Rega, Pro-Ject, Music Hall, etc - coupled with an upgraded cart, good phono preamp and isolation can give tables in the next budget tier a good run for the money. If no dealer in your area, I have found the folks at NeedleDoctor to be very helpful. It's always best to trust your ears, but if asked to make a more specific recommendation in your price range, I would probably look at the Clearaudio Concept package - if you could stretch a little bit, perhaps substitute package cart with something like the Ortofon Black.

Thank you guys , for your help, very much appreciate! Now need some more advice:
I managed to auditioned Music Hall MMF2.2 with Music Hall Tracker cartridge =$525, J.A. Michell Tecnodec with RB250 Special arm and ClearAudio Aurum Beta cartridge=$2900, and Rega RP3 with Elys2 cart =$1395 at my home with my YBA Integre + PolkAudio LSI15.
Music Hall gives neutral, good sound, with gentle and deep bass, but lacks details. I decided to take it as a zero point. Then TecnoDec produces very nice, detailed sound, especially in midrange and treble, but definitely lacks bass! Although this is a class-B Stereophile deck with the cartr that costs $600.
Rega RP3 sounds much louder, more detalied than Music Hall, tight bass and midrange, but sounds little bit harsh, not so pleasant as the first two.( May be those metal braces make the sound so harsh?)
So I feel very confused, I’d love to have sound of Tecnodec but with much more bass, and for less money! Is it possible?
And what really matters in case of sound quality- cartridge, tonearm, turntable?
Cause I started thinking, what if to buy good, expensive cartridge and put it on a budget turntable, or it doesn’t make any sense?

How confident are you that the TecnoDec was properly set up? Not familiar with that table or cart, but it could potentially be table, cart, tonearm or just improper set-up that is impacting the bass.

The Music Hall can definitely handle a better cart than the stock Tracker. You could upgrade the cart to something like the Ortofon 2M Blue ($225) which should fill in the details you are missing. There is also a Musical Hall acrylic platter upgrade ($125) that should increase bass definition.

No offense, but you are rapidly sliding down to audio hell, IMO. You have a budget of 2K max. Just get the best Rega or Music Hall you can afford and live with it for a couple of years. Both of these tables are capable of very good performance and have a minimum of adjustments to fool with. Then, after you've formed a reference in your mind, you can listen to other tts or carts and mix and match or whatever. This is only my opinion, so feel free to pursue whatever avenues you deem appropriate. There are many audiophiles who prefer screwing around with the gear to actual listening, which is totally cool - spend your money how you like and play with the stuff how you like.

You could get a Well Tempered Simplex with a Denon 103R for $2300 and I'm confident it would trounce those other tables you tried. People give me grief for it, but when I had my fully tricked out Rega P5 "harsh" is exactly how I described it. It's just not a good sounding table and has very poor build quality and materials. I much preferred my Pro-Ject Xperience Classic to the P5.

Thanks for help,guys, very much appreciated.
And as I’m diving deeper into analog, and ready to spend up to 2500 for TT set up, have some more questions:
Pro-Ject RPM9.2 evolution witn Ortofon 2M Black=$600 sounds very, very nice, detailed, open, but still lacks bass in comparison with Music Hall MMF2.2 with Tracker=$100 or Rega RP3 with Elys 2
Pro-Ject RPM5.1 with Ortofon 2M red=$99, sounds as very budget MMF2.2, just louder in high frequencies.
I noticed, that output was different, so I adjusted the volume.

Pro-Ject RPM 9.2 sounds close to Michell Tecnodec with ClearAudio Aurum Beta cart, but more enjoyable personally.
So questions:
1: why budget Tracker or Elys 2 give more powerful and deeper bass than more expensive carts?
2: What TT is the best from: Pro-Ject RPM9.2 Evolution, VPI Scout / JMW or Thorens TD309?
3: Can I use the same cartridges for VPI Scout unipivot JMW tonearm and let say Pro-Ject or Thorenc classic tonearms?

Did you get a chance to audition the Traveler? I have a Traveler/2M Black that sounds quite good, all the bass you could want. I have recently switched to a Blue Point cart to lean out the bass a little. Perhaps the bass situation is the product of other parts of your system. At this price point you are not going to get nirvana, compromise is inevitable. Get a table that stirs you with your favorite albums.

Check out the Music Hall MMF 7.1 without cartridge. Put an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge on it. Get a good phono cable. I got the Morrow PH4. Dead silence, and very nice details. Bass is very nice and tight, as long as it is in the recording. My 2 cents.