fatboyslimfast:I love both, and find that decent vinyl just sounds more "real" - it's hard to justify this, but to me it does.
However, there is a huge difference in sound quality between a brand new LP and a well-worn one. A CD will easily outperform a worn (not necessarily scratched) LP.
If you are looking at the 2nd hand market for vinyl, then I would stay this side of £200 for a player, as even a mint-looking LP can sound awful if it was played with a damaged stylus at some point in it's life.
FWIW, I have a mid-range turntable in my main system, which I generally use for my own collection and new purchases (the Beatles Love album on 180g vinyl sounds sublime), but keep the car-boot / flea market purchases for my 25-yr old Dual 505/2 in the dining room, as the Roksan shows up the imperfections too much. But it is a great way to discover new music, on a shoestring budget.
I hope I'm not waffling too much here. Basically, go for it, but if second-hand vinyl is your preference, then stick to a low-budget turntable.
It's a bit of a toughie. yes, a turntable has more soul and sounds more believable. However, for modern recordings i.e. recordings made since the early 90's then cd's are better. Prior to that I prefer, in the main, vinyl. That is because earlier cd's tend to be digitally remastered and that means compressing the sound = too clinical or clean.
JD is the man in the know.