Would I be wasting my money to get a turntable?

Yes, back to the original question - "is vinyl worth it"?

I listen to a lot of rock / metal / pop / new wave from 1970s through 1980s, and for this material the sound quality on vintage vinyl is often far more enjoyable compared to what’s available on digital formats - at least, that’s how I hear it. The overall mastering quality is what’s at play here; it’s not JUST the "loudness wars" thing, and usually the difference is large enough that it overrides other concerns like: extra ADC / DAC conversion, DAC quality, tubes vs SS, $400 vs $4000 cartridge, or Class D versus class A / AB.

If I were focused mostly on music produced since the 1990s, new music, and reissues of older albums, then I’d honestly be hard pressed (haha) to recommend vinyl at all - some of the new music releases are superb on vinyl, but so is the digital side. And frankly, used vinyl prices have gone up so much in the last 10-15 years, that if I were starting out fresh today it would be a real bummer. The only silver lining is there’s a LOT of cool older analog gear available on the used markets - so if you like to experiment (like I do), the world is your analog sandbox.

Like all things in this hobby, we can (and do) discuss the pros vs. cons all day long, but the only way to figure out which side you fall on is to dip your toe in. Sometimes I find the pundits right, sometimes wrong - and I’ve surely doled out plenty of advice that has fallen both ways too :-/

Yuuuppp… don’t do it.

Waste of time and your money. Mixing analog and digital does Neither Any Good…

I just recently added vinyl to my system mainly for nastolgia. I kept the system under 2 grand. I only buy records I find under 20 dollars that are in good condition  Going into it I never planned on investing mega dollars on records, but it is there if any of my friends want to bring a record over

Vinyl isn't the money pit that many would have you believe, depending on your wants/needs.  For many people, myself included, the fact that a rock being dragged through a piece of plastic can sound so amazing is kind of magical. There is a ritual to playing a record that appeals to me (and again, many others) that cannot be replicated by pushing a play button or tapping an ipad. Of course, I love the range of options and choices I have with streaming but it doesn't connect with me in the same way as my records do. Awesome for music in my car, at my desk at work, turned up so I can hear it while I bop around the house, etc, but when I sit down in the old sweet spot I don't even consider putting on a streaming source. I've said it before, black licorice is the best candy. Don't agree? No problem! It doesn't affect my enjoyment one whit. 

When I started down this road I hadn't heard the term "audiophile" and wouldn't hear it for years (decades?). All I knew was that I spent many pleasurable hours lying on the floor in front of a pair of my parents' Thorens turntable connected to a Marantz integrated amp driving a pair of Sansui speakers (you know, the ones with the grills that looked like carved wood). Of course, back then I had no clue whatsoever that these were "high quality" audio brands, but I believe I would have still caught the bug if it was a Realistic rack system.

Long story short - get a turntable. Get a few of your favorite records. If you don't feel like you made the right decision, you can sell the lot for a little less than you paid and call it a day. The rabbit hole is only as big as we indivually make it.

So much cypherin' goin' on. I need a nap. I'll play records. I'll get a snack. I'll read a book (starting Gormenghast all over again Fuchsia's attic system is class D    atta girl).