Combined with a good cartridge, I think an "entry" level table can do a fine job of letting you hear what's on the records.
It all comes down to your access to records and the quality of the records. If you have a good source of used records you can have a lot of fun discovering the huge amount of music available on old vinyl. If you'd be buying new $30-50 audiophile records to play on a $300 table, well I don't think that would be a good use of a music budget.
You can expect to spend time looking for good, clean records, caring for the them, and caring for the equipment (keep that stylus clean!). Often the records will just be dogs or too damaged (a more expensive rig may be more forgiving in this regard, but can't do miracles). The equipment requires careful setup (which should be done by the dealer the first time around).
It all comes down to your access to records and the quality of the records. If you have a good source of used records you can have a lot of fun discovering the huge amount of music available on old vinyl. If you'd be buying new $30-50 audiophile records to play on a $300 table, well I don't think that would be a good use of a music budget.
You can expect to spend time looking for good, clean records, caring for the them, and caring for the equipment (keep that stylus clean!). Often the records will just be dogs or too damaged (a more expensive rig may be more forgiving in this regard, but can't do miracles). The equipment requires careful setup (which should be done by the dealer the first time around).