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

That sounds good JohnnyB53 !  I guess the Pioneer was my first choice, but I got an idea that the VPI Nomad would be a little more flexible in moving around. I could use headphones to listen to records in my room where my small audio studio is. I have some little JBL self powered reference monitors in there, so If I wanted to use those it would be really easy.  
In the living room I just have a Marantz Receiver with the phone input and some bose speakers (less fancy than the JBLs).
I'm not looking for really high end, but I want something nice that I don't have to grow out of in a year.

So......    I am still on the fence.  But if Classical and jazz sound great on the Pioneer I may go with that.

I wish there were a few more reviews on the vpi nomad 2.  I kind of like the simplicity of the Nomad, but the pioneer plx-1000 has many more great reviews and comes highly recommended.

I would want a new one, and buy locally so if anything goes wrong they can help me out.

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

PLX -1000 was on my radar as I love to have 3-4 carts on extra head shells as I always  did back in the day.

Howsomwever , couple reviews saying don't forget to tighten up those loose bearings took it off .