Turntable Recommendation for Beginner

Whart,
I think we all agree that the budget is really the key here. That said, even thought I agree that $1500 might be not enough to buy a good analog front, I would disagree somewhat with your assertion that "when people start with a 1500 dollar turntable package and then wonder what the hype of vinyl is about, the answer is obvious."

I grew up on vinyl, but with a turntable that was probably worse that the gizmo you can get from an in-flight magazine. That thing got me to love music. I re-discovered vinyl recently, but started with a rather modest turntable (MMF-5.1). This "cheap" table made me never want to go back to listening to CDs again. I have progressed to a much better table and the rest of the system, but I will forever maintain that even a very modest analog system can provide a very rewarding musical experience. In a way, I think the more money you spend, the more you move away from the pure and simple pleasure of just listening to music rather than your stereo. Just look at the majority of threads on this forum...

Speaking of stereos, your set-up is quite amazing so congratulations on that. I can't help but ask you, what is up with the Kuzma Airline tonearm comment? "It sucks"? The best comment I've seen on people's system pages! It gave me a good laugh.

Act- it should literally read 'it blows,' given the air bearing and pump. Love the arm, hate the pump, which spits oil, sends nasty electrical zaps when it cycles and involves mechanical skills that have little to do with audio- only a Slovenian turntable designer would consider using a pump made in Italy. Remember that joke about heaven and hell, where the British are the cooks, the Italians are the administrators...etc.
You may be right that even an inexpensive package is enough to get the magic of vinyl. My perspective comes from having some records that i have owned since i bought them, new, in the 1960's and played them over the different systems I have owned since then. The amount of information in those grooves never ceases to amaze me. Extracting that information is another matter and the differences in what an ok turntable and a really good turntable can deliver are profound. I wasn't even beginning to suggest that the OP consider a top of the pile table to start but.... bear with me here:
having had a few good to excellent tables (the original Well Tempered, which was 'good' especially back in 1990 or so) and the Kuzma Reference (which was, and still is excellent), I was totally unprepared for what a real state of the art table (the current table I'm using) can deliver in terms of information and utter blackness/depth. So, working backwards, I'd place an enormous amount of importance on getting the best table possible. Not 10k dollars, but 5 or 6k? Granted, that's not a budget table, just the direction of my thinking.
Thanks for the kind words re the current system. You are welcome to visit if you are near NYC. I plan to break the system down as soon as this house is sold, and relocate to Austin, which is a whole other story....
Appreciate the tenor of your response, which was in the same spirit as my comments.
Best,
bill hart

Well Tempered Amadeus with a Zyx cartridge
or
a used BASIS Turntable (clever solution for the coming years)

Denon 47F, with a 103 cartridge. Must be brought as a pickup purchase. Any type of shipping will destroy it, no matter what 'packing experts' will tell you.

If you can get your hands on a new or low-mileage Thorens TD-700 it is very nice for the price.It gets the basics right in a way the Music-Halls of the world do not. You get a substantial and gorgeous-looking thick acrylic platter, electronic speed switching between 33 and 45, a very precise hidden belt mechanisim with a nice motor, a decent tonearm and great sound. When funds permit, ditch the included cartrige (actually not bad) for an Ortofon Blue, and you have a killer package for not much money. It is a joy to use.