First, I'm old with a few full boxes of LPs that haven't seen daylight in 20 years.

I'm cursed with an attraction to buying unproven things like Dual's return to the US and their cs 518. Back in the day, some Duals were very well regarded, but no idea now. It doesn't help there is only press release content about the American product.

https://hifi.dual.de/en/products/manual/cs-518/

The general idea being, having a good experience without "going down a rabbit hole." I've heard genuinely impressive (expensive) audio setups, so I know I'm getting better than decent, but not amazing. My other choice is the Rega Planar 2 at the same price point. It seems to be universally well regarded, but lots of comments about upgrades needed.

The rest of my existing gear is enthusiasts level, not audiophile, generally pleasing and always gets positive comments from guests who are used to bluetooth speakers. An audio preamp is on the list. (Cambridge solo)

TLDR; I want to buy the Dual cs-518, but "gun shy" Looking for insights/opinions.