Moving from CD to analog

If possible, find a good dealer who sells several brands and have him set the table up in your home for you, together with a matching cartridge and phono pre-amp. IMO, you will save a lot of grief and you will have a resource to go back to for questions. A well-designed table, properly set up, should not require any maintenance for a couple of years. If you have absolutely no local dealer, I would purchase one of the better plug and play units from Music Hall or Rega. These are relatively easy to set up and will do a good job until you get more at ease with the process. If you buy from an online dealer like Music Direct, they can deliver the table all set up and walk you through any difficulties. I would still opt for the local dealer, but that's up to you. There are a lot of good tables out there and I would prefer one that is delivered and set up by an expert over another brand that I might like a little better for some reasons, but having to go it on my own.

Matthew - a BMW dealer wants to sell you a BMW, a Rolex dealer wants to sell you a Rolex. That doesn't mean they're not good products. You can go it on your own if you like, but a dealer can make it easier. Your choice. There are a lot of anti-dealer people here and maybe they had bad experiences. I've had them myself with some dealers, but I wouldn't apply that to everyone. If you post the area where you live, I'm sure people can turn you on to some reputable and knowledgeable people.