Until yesterday, my turntable had been acting up and I finally decided to look into the cause- it's a Sony PS-X600, which has a servo-controlled tracking system for the tonearm and had issues with the power and zero-balance switches and wasn't sensing the end of the LP. The servo control technology is similar to the models from Denon and some other brands- at this point, I would go with something much more simple because if it ever stops working completely (or is so intermittent that it's effectively useless), I'll be left with a paperweight. After removing the bottom panel , I decided to loosen and re-tighten the various ground wire screws- so far, it has shown none of the problems.
The first LP I played was 'Minstrel In The Gallery' and, having been pressed in the late-'70s, some of the details I noticed (after hearing it for the first time in years) were the separation and apparent 'sound stage'. Tonal balance was very good and while the bass doesn't go extremely low, it was realistic enough, especially considering the fact that I don't use a subwoofer-they had to mix for the masses WRT turntables, but it sounds good.
My curiosity got the better of me, so I checked the price of a remastered LP- Amazon has remastered vinyl for $499. Not. Gonna. Happen.
