I too just got back into vinyl. I purchased a used Basis 1400, with RB300 arm. I also bought a ARC PH3 phono preamp and added a new Benz Micro Glider II cartridge and was off and running. Total cost about $2500.
Was it worth it? You bet. I have not listened to this much music in 10 years. It sounds better than my SACD/CD player (Sony 9000ES), by a large margin.
You have quite a lot of what amounts to free music (between you and your brothers collections you have several hundred albums!).
Two bits of advice I can give you is to buy a used TT and tonearm from somebody who is upgrading here on Audiogon. In that way you will be reasonably assured of getting a quality TT that has been taken care of fairly well.
If you are feeling adventurous, you can buy a used cartridge as well, but beware that some of them are very well used (worn out?) and installing them is not always easy. (Learning how to properly install/adjust a cartridge is daunting, as there are a number of variables: Tracking Force, Vertical Tracking Angle, Anti-skate forces, etc..) Given that and the possibility of bending the cantilever while installing it, and thus ruining the cartridge, is the reason I purchased my cartridge new from the local analog guru (Brian @ the Analog Room, in San Jose, CA).
As far as record cleaning is concerned, I recommend you purchase "Last" products, both the power cleaner and the preservative. Those and a carbon fiber brush and a stylus cleaning brush are all you really need.
Total cost about $100.
I recommend you make the plunge, as the sound just seems more musical than SACD and CD's. If you decide you don't like it, you can sell the rig and not be much, if anything, out of pocket.
Good Luck in your decision!
Was it worth it? You bet. I have not listened to this much music in 10 years. It sounds better than my SACD/CD player (Sony 9000ES), by a large margin.
You have quite a lot of what amounts to free music (between you and your brothers collections you have several hundred albums!).
Two bits of advice I can give you is to buy a used TT and tonearm from somebody who is upgrading here on Audiogon. In that way you will be reasonably assured of getting a quality TT that has been taken care of fairly well.
If you are feeling adventurous, you can buy a used cartridge as well, but beware that some of them are very well used (worn out?) and installing them is not always easy. (Learning how to properly install/adjust a cartridge is daunting, as there are a number of variables: Tracking Force, Vertical Tracking Angle, Anti-skate forces, etc..) Given that and the possibility of bending the cantilever while installing it, and thus ruining the cartridge, is the reason I purchased my cartridge new from the local analog guru (Brian @ the Analog Room, in San Jose, CA).
As far as record cleaning is concerned, I recommend you purchase "Last" products, both the power cleaner and the preservative. Those and a carbon fiber brush and a stylus cleaning brush are all you really need.
Total cost about $100.
I recommend you make the plunge, as the sound just seems more musical than SACD and CD's. If you decide you don't like it, you can sell the rig and not be much, if anything, out of pocket.
Good Luck in your decision!