if you are within driving distance to memphis, it would be a good trip to go talk to george. He is one of the pioneers in this venue and will talk for hours on the merits of vinyl and will work with you to put together a system that will fit your budget. I came to him knowing a little and already having an old denon player and he showed me what an old modded AR could do and thus i started my quest for the "ideal" sound that i am still working on. However, he gives solid advice and is not tied to just his new equipment. He will also help you understand the tuning and tweaking of the system which is critical to get the most out of your vinyl experience. Also, this forum and the one at audioasylum can help also
Suggested entry path into vinyl...
...if cost is not a major constraining factor (within limits :-)). I guess my question is do experienced vinyl enthusiasts recommend starting with a "entry-level" analog set up and tweaking and upgrading over time to maximize one's learning of what one likes by sampling different tt/tonearm/cartridge/phono setups (as well as learning how to correctly set-up and handle tts and associated gear on less expensive equipment), or would you just buy a more "evolved" (and likely more expensive) setup at the outset that you have heard within the context of the rest of your playback system and that you like the sound of (but perhaps make expensive mistakes on that gear). I am deliberately staying away from specific examples to get at folks' opinions/recommendations about the approaches. Thanks for your thoughts in advance.