Possibly Looking for a Turntable/Cartridge Under $1000

@dayglow 

Nothing wrong with my vinyl leg… it’s just that I  have a really good digital end and most audiophile pressings are available in high resolution files. Also, my digital leg will often sound better because my vinyl pressing may be the 10,000th produced by a stamper. There is much more variation in vinyl than there is in digital. 
 

You can assemble a vinyl system that sounds better (whatever that means to you) than a digital end, and visa versa. There just simply isn’t an edge until you get into ultra expensive systems (like $100K legs, although I am not positive that is even true any more).
 

In my case, a carefully chose both my analog and digital legs for musical and natural presentation and they both achieve that for roughly the same amount of money. My assessment is done on listening to hundreds of albums, not just finding one exception to prove something to myself. 

You can do it, everything I showed you is under $800. plus some tax, free or very little shipping cost, still in your budget.

That Shibata stylus in that pre-aligned cartridge playing new or properly cleaned vinyl should sound awesome.

I was very happy with that setup for years.

Here’s another idea for you

$275. Used Technics SL-J33 Programmable Linear Tracking with P Mount

I had one for years, played it in my main system, put it in my shop/garage system, loaned it to half a dozen of my friends to use while they had something fixed, gave it to my son.

I put a Shibata P-Mount in it, it’s Quartz Locked Direct Drive, this one has OEM cable with ground wire, ask seller about the feet, sometimes they need replacing.

$200. Shibata P Mount, auto alignment and calibrated

EVERYONE was amazed how good it sounded. 

The auto features, the programmable function, so compact, sooooo good!

You still need to clean your lps, but that little thing is awesome.

Linear Tracking, true alignment to each and every groove, no anti-skate involved.

It looks like nothing, but it’s quite something.

Way back when, I had a Pioneer programmable that was a drawer in a case you could stack, these are what made copying individual tracks onto cassette decks so easy.

It scans, finds the blank spots between tracks automatically, you pick which tracks in which order, ... play

several available, hifishark

This is one of the newest Technics turntables at Ski Fi Audio in New Jersey. Impressive budget turntable with cartridge and upgradable and under $1000!

https://youtu.be/rwGTmlqeqf8?si=25Abbc4o6lp3bwlZ

@jasonbourne71 Your a hard individual to convince, I'm sure my being Teatotal us well recorded on the Gon.

FTR, When purchasing a set set of speakers from a widower, selling the deceased spouses Audio Equipment, I was informed about the unacceptable Dealer offers made for the Vinyl collection. 

I offered almost identical advice and Grandchildren were drafted in to help. 

At a later date, I was thanked and informed, certain Albums were at a value almost as good as a Dealer offer for the entire collection. 

I have intentionally and randomly pulled Albums (no more than 5% of collection) where for certain EANs find £15 + as the value. One Album is discovered as close to £1K.

I have not realised these values but do see a Valuable Album collection worth much more than the £00.50p per Album dealer offers.

CD as a Medium is quite different, I am able to acquire between 5 per £1 - 2 per £1.

I stand by the OP seriously considering selling and getting increased funds for a Digital Source.