Analog System to Beat Digital - - for little$$ ??

Either get a Technics SL-1200mk2 or a JVC QL-7, mount a nice cartridge like the Audio Technica AT150 and you are in business. And spend the rest of your budget on good records. If you are into DIY, then find ways to mount different and better tonearms, you will have to spend more obviously, to the above tables. Personally, belt-drive turntables with wimpy toy motors just don't do it for me. A modified Empire 208 with the great Papst motor is one of the few BD tables that has the oomph to get close to direct-drivers. Idler-drive tables are also great but too much maintenance for someone new to analog. Whatever you are going to get, have fun! Just always remember that this is a hobby not a religion, so don't take anything too seriously.

Yes, I agree with your budget mix. Watch out for deals on the PS Audio GCPH. It's a well regarded and very flexible phono stage that can often be found new for $700. And even less on Audiogon. Others that, found used, may fit your budget are an EAR 834p and a Graham Slee Reflex Era Gold.

Good luck.

Pick up a new Technics SL1210 from an interent discounter like Musiian's friend for about $470. Get a Jelco 370 arm on ebay for $300 and a Denon Dl103 on ebay for about $150 both new.

I have just CNC maufactured tonearm boards for putting Jelco arms (250, 750, 370 and Sumiko Premiere MMT) or SME (309, IV, V and 3009) on the Technics table (each board is different with the correct offset). I will list them for sale soon here on Audiogon but figure about 1/2 of the british place (about $100).

You will have about $1000 left over for a good phono stage and steam cleaner.

jbryngelson,

More often than not I find a good vinyl copy of a record to sound better in the overall sense and listener involvement than the CD variant. But not all LP's sound great nor better than a good CD version. Nothing is 100% one way or the other but IMO again more often than not I find on my system that the vinyl record is better and more enjoyable to the CD version. Not that the CD sucks, in fact I am fine with stating that a well made redbook CD can sound very good and IMO the regular CD gets knocked around by many unfairly. Yes, the stupid loudness wars of the last decade or so has hurt the CD but but too many non-talented artists being pushed on us by the industry is worse, and vinyl or no vinyl wont make a lousy artist sound good LOL.

I have many great sounding CD's and my current CD player is not some uber high end unit. In fact it is a $9.00 thrift store find, a Magnavox CDB-586 (same as the Philips CDC-586), 1989 vintage CD changer with the generally well respected TDA-1541A DAC and the well made CDM-4 swing arm laser assembly. No, it's not as good as my best CD player I have owned, my now sold off Cambridge Audio D-300se but given I have no idea what high end (what ever that may mean) sounds like and only can give reference to my current but in my hobbyist and hard planed, well thought out, modestly priced system well CD's do sound good too. But again IMO vinyl often sounds better and more enjoyable. My Technics SL-1200mmkII with the CARDAS arm rewire from KAB USA, a Denon DL-110 cartridge and a Cambridge Audio 640p preamp is really a very impressive setup to my hearing in my room through my gear.

I have to agree with Wrtickle in regards to the cart. I have a Dynavector DV-10X5 combined with a Musical Fidelity X-LPS phono pre and the sound is superb. No volume adjustment necessary when switching between the CD and TT, both are pretty much normalized. Perfect for doing A-B testing.