Diving back into analog...which turntable to buy

In order to bring vinyl up to the level of CD or Super Audio. I think you would have to spend around $3,000 to $4000. I always had tables around the $1000 to $2,000 range and none of them (while very good) did not give me that OMG factor, until I bought a Pro-Ject Xtension 10 with a Clear Audio Maestro v2 on it. This really brought my vinyl way past CD or SACD sound. I rarely listen to digital anymore. Regards,

Matt M

Mission, I'm mildly surprised at your experience of the LP12 (although I sold my LP12 many years ago). The Linn is more than capable of seeing off expensive CD players and giving you that "analogue-only" compulsion.

I recall a friend evaluating a CD player with possible buying intentions which was 4X the price of his basic LP12 with basic arm. He asked me to sit in on the comparison using like-for-like material (mostly live albums) and although the LP12 was literally "thrown in a corner", as he put it, while the Demo CD Player was atop the 5th and most specially decoupled shelf on his rack (and also despite the object of the exercise being to replace an existing CD player!) he was so disgusted at the expensive item's poor showing against the LP12 that he decided not to replace the CD player at all(!) and packaged the demo item up for return to the dealer forthwith!

It should be mentioned that setting up an LP12 is critical, not just the suspension but the choice of support as well (i.e. which also includes the floor or the wall!).
Pernickety, perhaps, but well worth the effort.
Like the man said, at $1K you're not going to find anything better.

Well this is all discouraging,lol...I tried everything possible with the lp12 I had.I even had a table guy come in and do his magic as he stated before coming.Couldn't compare to my Esoteric player.Anyway I want to try this,my budget is a grand..Im seeking info on tables to consider new or used,thats all really.

Best you will find for 1K is Rega 3 which Needle Doctor
is selling for 716$ right now . A Goldring 2100 at 250 $
will sound very good on any kind of music and that puts you
at 966 $ .

I owned an LP12 for a few years and was fortunate in that I had it set up by probably one of the top 5 LP12 gurus in the nation. It sounded great but I got tired of the "persnickety" character of the table. But you need to consider the package as not just the table but cartridge, phone stage and cables are all crucial to maximize performance. And as mentioned the stand and placement all contribute to the quality of sound. I am not recommending that you re-invest in another LP12 but consider all the ingredients of the analog side of your system.