Vinyl***What If***

 Agree with Williewonka as well, and I love my vinyl collection and have five turntables. IMHO, the money is better spent on upgrading your digital front end, or spending the funds on software.

I’m all for experimenting, but experimenting with new styles of music or new musical artists. When experimenting with audio gear I look at the likelihood of an outcome that will take me closer to the music and further from worrying about the gear. I don’t see that in this case. YMMV, and I hope that, if you do go down that road, you become a total vinyl convert.

Seriously do like one other mention buy an entry level Project or Rega and have some fun!

We need more people into vinyl.

Also don’t think you cannot have some good fun with that set up, as you defiantly can. some good points from the rest but I think there is lots of fun to be had at the entry level and you will know if you want more or not.

Another option is to see if you have a vintage audio shop locally, that can be a great way to start as well. There are some very good tables from the 70’s 80’s for well under your budget.

I have a vintage audio shop where I am that even has a good used record section. If you have something similar it could be an easy one stop shopping spree.

With either of the above you wont lose much reselling if you don’t like vinyl. But don’t let the other scare you away too fast ;-). You may have some good fun with it and then you can go from there with better rigs.

There is something about the whole ritual of finding a record cleaning it playing each side through that’s somewhat more satisfying then skipping through tracks with a push button or finger swipe. You put a record side on and tend to listen through the whole side discovering tracks you never knew about. You tend to listen in a more involving way, then with tidal for example. You don’t tend to skip parts of a song or the last 20 second to get to the next like you may do with digital (mostly I find I do that sort of stuff when streaming).

People always talk about the sound but very rarely do they talk about the whole experience. Taken as whole vinyl can be a more involving way to listen.

In my humble experience of course. Ok Ok I’ve been a vinyl user since 1975 so that may influence my opinion.

No offense intended to the diehard vinyl partisans, but this discussion would be incomplete without reference to this classic New Yorker cartoon:

https://www.art.com/products/p35813035510-sa-i9463492/alex-gregory-the-two-things-that-really-drew-me-to-vinyl-were-the-expense-and-the-inco-new-yorker-cartoon.htm

[And in case the link doesn’t work, the caption reads:  “The two things that really drew me to vinyl were the expense and the inconvenience” but the accompanying drawing is just perfect.]

I fell in love with records and started collecting with "Good Night Irene" by Howlin' Wolf around 1950.  My parents wanted to disown me because I kept sittin' on the records and breaking the damn things.  78s ya know?  Anyway I was in my terrible twos.  True story.  I have thousands of records and 5 turntables, 4 phono stages, a couple of dozen cartridges, a record cleaning machine and on it goes.  This morning I bought 23 more records.  As in today alone.  This is a serious kind of thing ya know?  Well most of your know that.  But you know what?  Advice to the op who is looking to find out about vinyl without making a big commitment and not wanting any hassles?  That is tough.  If you were my own son, try and find a friend who has vinyl and hang with him or her a bit to see what you think.  It is sort of like sailing.  Some times it is better to crew on a boat than to own a boat.  Ya know?  Try before you buy.

Let me put this another way.  My main vinyl play back system: TT #1-$4K; TT#2-$6K; Cartridges: $8K, $6k, $1.6K, $1.2K; Phono Stage $18K, oh and a Sugar Cube $2K.  Not to mention the protractors and deionizers and several tracking force gauges and on and on and on.  Yes it sounds good, but not necessarily better than my digital rig that costs $2K all in.  Vinyl is a lifestyle and a commitment.  It is a passion, it is not rational.  The records warp, get scratched, are noisier than digital at best, can be inordinately expensive to buy, collectibles can be nearly impossible to find, they take up a lot of space in your home, are heavy to move, difficult to store and maintain, and have been known to (ahem) strain relationships.  God help me I love 'em.

Fantastic Bill! Thank you for sharing.