What turntable to start out with ? Pioneer PLX-1000 or VPI Nomad

Summary of Stereophile review of the PLX-1000:

Pioneer PLX-1000: $699 including tonearm $$$
To those who deny the musicality of direct-drive platters and the servos they rode in on, HR said: Bunk. And he added: "Forget analog vs digital or tubes vs solid-state; the most pervasive and poorly considered belief of all is that only belt-drive turntables are worthy of audiophile consideration." From there HR praised the successor to the popular but discontinued Technics SL-1200MK2: the Pioneer PLX-1000 direct-drive turntable with integrated tonearm. "Belts can't touch the PLX-1000's excitement, naturally formed detail, and clearly expressed forward momentum," HR wrote. "This new Pioneer also showcases the complex tonal character and elegant structures of classical music better than any affordable belt-drive I've experienced." As HR heard it, the PLX-1000, whose motor exhibits more than twice the torque of its famous forebear, "is not only a worthy successor to the legendary Technics SL-1200MK2, it is a serious contender for the best audiophile-grade turntable for less than $2000. Unabashedly recommended." Borderline Class B, he dares to suggest. (Vol.38 No.3 WWW)

The PLX-1000 is $300 less than the Nomad. For that difference you can buy a $129 Schiit Mani phono stage, a nicer cartridge (e.g., 2M Blue), and probably find someone to help mount the cartridge. I'm not sure, but I suspect the Pioneer has a headshell jig for aligning the cartridge. I use such as jig with my Technics and I get a better alignment than any of the protractors I've tried.

Full review: http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-4#GZbc8OGpgs1OGT4d.97

Follow-up review: http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-3-follow#jqV8s3G1vMsB8Ph5.97

treeinrock:

The PLX-1000 is pretty much a souped-up, improved Technics SL-12x0 turntable. It has twice the torque, better feet, an internally damped tonearm, and contstriained layer damping between the plinh and base.

My turntable has been the Technics SL1210 M5G for eight years. I listen extensively to classical and jazz, both small combo and big band, with or without vocals. A quartz-locked direct drive turntable has advantages here. For one, leaders such as Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Oscar Peterson, and Ray Brown have an uncanny sense of tempo. The speed accuracy of quartz-locked direct drive helps convey that magic. So does the high torque motor, which maintains speed even through stylus drag during heavy modulation. It also translates into better dynamics in classical records where massive crescendos don't slow down the tempo.

As for versatility, it has its own in that it has a removable headshell, which makes cartridge mounting *infinitely* easier than mounting on a fixed headshell. In fact, you can get multiple headshells and mount different cartridges on them (e.g. a mono cartridge) so cartridge swapping is as simple as it gets.

There are some phono preamps that have a built-in headphone amplifier, such as the Bellari VP 130.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BLVP130

Those reviews about the loose tonearm bearings are about a year old now. It would be worth checking with authorized dealers today to see if Pioneer responded to the issue. Besides, at $699 it'd be worth an hour's worth of tech bench time to have it put to spec.

There are also several other good turntables in the $1K range, many of which have pre-mounted and aligned cartridges, and some of them have nicer cartridges than the 2M Red on the Nomad (not that it's bad). 

Pro-Ject offers the Carbon Expression for $999 including an Ortofon 2M Silver cartridge; it's like a 2M Red but with silver internal wiring.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-Xpression-Classic-in-Black?sc=2&category=45

Pro-Ject also offers the RPM 3 Carbon with mounted Sumiko Blue Point 2, a high output moving coil cartridge. That's a $450 cartridge.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-RPM-3-Carbon-Turntable?sc=2&category=45

And Music Hall offers the MMF5.1 LE, on sale at AudioAdvisor for $849, and includes a Music Hall Magic 3 cartridge with replaceable nude stylus. Cartridge is sourced from Ortofon.
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MHMMF51L

Of course, if the idea of dropping the a turntable into various systems (such as plugging directly into powered speakers) appeals to you, then the Nomad's your answer.