Turntable advice


Hey there, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on a turntable and cart. I was looking at the rega p6 but the lack of vta and azimuth adjustment turned me off, I mainly listen to hip hop/ soul/ funk/ jazz and blues for the cart reference. Im looking to spend around 2-3500 with the cart price included if possible but could stretch a bit if need be. Mainly my concerns are ease of cartridge adjustment and alignment  or a clear path for adjustment if something has a known quirk. I still haven’t decided on a phono or amp either if anyone has any advice there. Budget for those is around 1500 give or take for both. 
 

i appreciate any advice in advance ! 

waroftheants

Pioneer PLX1000 ($700) and a Hana SL mc cartridge ($750). This combination is competitive with other four-figure setups.

So my budget for the table is 2-3500 preferably with the cart price included. I don’t have phono Stage or (headphone) amp yet (I plan to listen on headphones for a bunch of reasons.) my main concern other than sound and stability ( I will have it placed on a piece of furniture on a wood floor) is ease of cartridge alignment and adjustments (the p6 and it’s vta and azimuth inability to adjust kinda turns me off from it for that much money) I have another 1500 or so set aside for the phono stage and headphone amp so all told like 5k for the phono, headphone amp, TT, and cart and probably another 5-800 for headphones. I own some records and would like to expand my collection. Digital Is my only really listening venue atm because of having no analog gear and I mainly stream on tidal on earbuds or in the car. It dosent really need to fit into my turntable equation because it will be in a seperate room from my pc. I appreciate the help so far  ! 

$5K is real money so hopefully you can listen to options rather just following suggestions from us Internet forum slobs!

Most HiFi is priced at different cost vs performance points. At the lower end doubling the investment will reveal real improvement. But the more you spend the weirder the relationshio between cost and sound quality gets. 
 

So, if you have access to audio stores I would audition kit at your budget plus kit below and above your budget. Does the cheaper stuff really sound poorer to you? Does the expensive stuff blow you away or does it reveal a bad land mine you will be thankful of avoiding?

Trust your ears and enjoy the journey…

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