Will a $700 turntable outperform a CD player?

teo_audio, demonstrating that every once in a while the forum proves its worth (I did tighten it up a bit):

In my experience, a $700 turntable, if well sorted, or well set up, will equal or out perform, the best that digital can do or has done so far. ..

Today a +$100k digital DAC unit combined with a +$100k ADC on the input end, can't outperform a few thousand dollars worth of well sorted pure analog record and playback.

In engineering, thinking, and efforts, the digital system clearly does outperform...but.. with regard to the best in human hearing - it clearly doesn't.

Major disconnect.

Indeed.

After college, between being poor and moving around a lot my Technics SL1700 went in a box for a good 10 years. By the time I got settled and had money it was 1990 something, I had forgotten all about the turntable, CD was supposed to be so much better, that when I started building my new system in my new listening room only CD was even considered at first. 

Until one day reading Robert Harley and he is saying the turntable is the foundation of a high end music system. Wait- what? Well I still have my turntable, my POC Kenwood has a phono stage, we will just have to settle this turntable BS once and for all. 

Turns out the cantilever on the Stanton 681EEE cartridge got bent somehow. Dang. Pliers. There. That looks reasonably straight. Still have a few records in a box somewhere. Get this over with. 

Amazing. Flabbergasting. Wife comes home. Hears music. Can't see the turntable. Assumes its CD. Says that sounds good what is it? Blocking her view I say Tom Petty. No I mean what is it, sounds so good? Its a record. What??!?!?!?

Vinyl is so much better than digital it really is not a question of sound quality. Its purely a question of personality. If playing a record is something you will enjoy then its a match made in heaven. If it feels like drudgery then you will probably find it easier to put up with digital and learn to pretend not to notice how it sounds.