Vinyl player recommendations, primarily for creating digital files... Options

[mattdm11]

I know this topic has been beaten to death, but since every person's situation is different, I thought I'd start a new thread....

Anyway, I'm looking to buy something that can play vinyl...I don't own any vinyl currently, but seeing as how most albums that are put out on vinyl are properly mastered and have more dynamic range, I see no reason why I shouldn't start buying and ripping to my computer, since I've read how easy it's gotten. I enjoy my setup currently (in the process of ripping all my cds over the past 1.5 years...almost done): Pioneer receiver, Klipsch bookshelf speakers and subwoofer, Asus Xonar D2 soundcard.

Now, I'm not looking for a top of the line piece of equipment, as all I really want to do is rip the album to WAV....there won't be a lot of playback involved. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I was hoping to only spend $200 or so. Can I get by with a cheaper piece of equipment if I just want to rip, or do I have to shell out the $$$ if I want an accurate representation of how the vinyl should sound? I know that some players now include ripping software, so should I look for something that includes software, or is there a certain piece of software someone recommends I buy separately?

In a perfect world, I'd love to hear how the vinyl rips would sound before I invested in anything...my first purchases will be MACHINA from Smashing Pumpkins, Accelerate from REM, Young Modern by Silverchair...a lot of the newer albums that are compressed to hell on CD. These albums are so compressed, the vinyl versions just have to sound better....

Any help would be appreciated.

This post has been edited by mattdm11: May 13 2008, 05:06