@mrpostfire ,
Many good suggestions here. I believe all the Nottinghams require manually moving the belt, so probably not for you.
Vintage Luxmans, Thorens and the new Technics with built-in phono stage all sound like good options.
A couple of sub-topics not addressed too much yet:
1) Record cleaning is the key to minimizing ticks & pops, even if you plan on playing mostly new LPs. For about $500 of your total budget you can get significantly cleaner, quieter LPs using a combo of ultrasonic cleaner, DIY fluids and rinse/dry with a wet vac. Read @rushton 's thread here where includes his PositiveFeedback article and other posts that expand on how to do it most cost-effectively. A commitment to cleaning records and immediately storing them in good new sleeves is required to get anywhere close to the sound you are investing in.
2) Phono stage needs to accounted for in your budget. It also must be carefully chosen to match gain and loading with the cartridge and preamp you'll be using. Don't just buy individually suggested items without informed opinions on if they play nice with each other. Aspects to note in your questions will be phono stage gain options, loading options, cartridge output and compliance. Don't feel like you need to become an expert overnight, just ask "Hey does this cart match well with this tonearm and this phono stage?". You'll get plenty of help. Cheers,
Spencer
Many good suggestions here. I believe all the Nottinghams require manually moving the belt, so probably not for you.
Vintage Luxmans, Thorens and the new Technics with built-in phono stage all sound like good options.
A couple of sub-topics not addressed too much yet:
1) Record cleaning is the key to minimizing ticks & pops, even if you plan on playing mostly new LPs. For about $500 of your total budget you can get significantly cleaner, quieter LPs using a combo of ultrasonic cleaner, DIY fluids and rinse/dry with a wet vac. Read @rushton 's thread here where includes his PositiveFeedback article and other posts that expand on how to do it most cost-effectively. A commitment to cleaning records and immediately storing them in good new sleeves is required to get anywhere close to the sound you are investing in.
2) Phono stage needs to accounted for in your budget. It also must be carefully chosen to match gain and loading with the cartridge and preamp you'll be using. Don't just buy individually suggested items without informed opinions on if they play nice with each other. Aspects to note in your questions will be phono stage gain options, loading options, cartridge output and compliance. Don't feel like you need to become an expert overnight, just ask "Hey does this cart match well with this tonearm and this phono stage?". You'll get plenty of help. Cheers,
Spencer