Brand new to vinyl: Help!

Thyname

Looks like plenty of info and suggestions to confuse, and possibly waste money.

A favorite album and cartridge in your budget should give you an idea if records are for you.

All the reviews are favorable for the humble Project, when kept in context.

No cable,mat etc will elevate a table meant simply for enjoying records.

Music is a very personal thing, so you'll have to decide what floats your boat.  A couple of newer releases that should be readily available everywhere that could help you figure your sound out:

St. Vincent - Masseducation
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Cheek to Cheek

IME, jazz and niche artists seem to release better sounding vinyl records in general and recently in particular. Not sure why that is or if it's even a "rule of thumb," but a lot of the bigger acts just sound kind of flat to me.

Don't tweak your Pro-Ject beyond a new stylus, alignment and cable.  Save your money, find music you like and keep your eyes peeled here and other boards.  You can pick up one really serious rig complete for ~$4K in the second-hand market.

Remember, shopping for audio gear is kind of like re-aligning a cartridge:  Take your time, take breaks when you need to and don't stress about any of it.

Thanks @effischer !

I have no idea on how to align it. Are you talking about leveling it?

Agreed on a good cable / Interconnects. It is a future proof purchase since I would be using the same cable when I upgrade the entire turntable setup.

Stylus beyond Ortofon Blue maybe too soon to decide on a good one.

‘For future upgrade I am thinking Clearaudio Concept or VPI Prime Scout

+1 Raymundo. Don't try to upgrade turntable -- you'll spend a lot and not get much return. Try the turntable with a better cartridge (again Dynavector for affordable great sound).

If you really like it, then look at a new turntable in a few months. Caveat: that way madness lies; audiophilia nervosa may lead you to keep upgrading... not so good unless you're really rich.

Meanwhile, enjoy what you have!

Agree with the "don't spend money" logic.

I resurrected my 28yr old TT before I dove into vinyl. Bought a Nagaoka MP-110 and installed it. (Had to, because the old Shure was dead). Did the adjustments to the TT/arm/cartridge. Bought a good pressing of Kind of Blue and did some comparative listening. I liked what I heard and have not looked back. Now, the Red is by no means a crappy cartridge. I installed one on my friends Rega P2 and after the break in period, it sounds just fine. I chose it because he has a lot of old vinyl and I thought it would be forgiving on surface noise and other annoyances. 

It is a bit of an expense as you will be hunting for good pressings of your favorites, and they more often than not are kinda pricy.

You are going to find that you're going to want a proper record cleaning machine to be able to get the most out of your records. After having listened to "clean" digital files, you may or may not be comfortable w the snap crackle and oppose of vinyl...

Get what you have set up properly, or confirm that it is set up right. Get a good pressing of one of your fav's and let the cart break in.

If you like what you hear with that, it will only get better w better TT/arm/cart.

Good luck!

P