Hi there. A TT may not be a good option. It is expensive. Good quality vinyl systems not only have an up-front cost, but also ongoing expenses. For example (1) Expensive media (2) Vinyl cleaning (3) accessories such as mats, stylus cleaning, clamps - to name just a few. Excellent CD replay can be had for peanuts. Amplifier: I have not heard either but I have heard the one up of the Onkyo. Fabulous. Nearly bought it but went for a Pass Labs monster instead. I have heard good stuff from Marantz and Yamaha too but that Onkyo made a serious impression. Speakers: both seem ok. Have heard one of the 'Q' models and was impressed.

Fro turntables the Pro-Ject Carbon is a good sounding table but the anti-skate function is a bit of a pain. It is basically a string and a weight and setup is a hair annoying. If you have the budget to step up to the Music Hall 2.3 it is a little better of a table and easier to setup.

For vinyl, it is a hair more expensive. You will want to get a Spin Clean if you buy used vinyl ($79.99) a velvet and carbon fiber brush, $15 and a stylus cleaner which will be about $15. Longer term there are replacement cost for the mats, stylus/cartridge and you can consider a clamp, etc... It is a hair pricier. You can find used vinyl super cheap...new vinyl is a more expensive media than a CD.

For speakers, the current darlings are the Elac's. Same designer as the Pioneer's (Andruw Jones) and a strong value with the Debut B6 at $279 and the Uni-Fi UB5 at $499. For a value speaker that is probably what I would consider at this point. I have never heard the Q Acoustics...the MA Bronze's are very nice for the money and the Pioneer's are spectacular for the money but lack detail vs. the MAs or Elac's.

Music Hall makes a wonderful amp that is pretty neutral. The Marantz PM6005 is excellent as well and can be had for $499.

I have not heard the Onkyo in question. In general I find that Onkyo's sound profile is a bit cool. Highly detailed but it fits best with a warm speaker like a Wharfeldale. Incidentally the Diamond line is wonderful. The WhatHiFi guys love that Onkyo. I would listen to it first side by side with a Marantz if you could. Lots of places carry both those brands and may display both units.

Regarding bluetooth, there are a variety of ways to connect. What you don't have here is a good DAC and bluetooth units either plug into a USB DAC or have an internal DAC. If you can afford it, the way to go is the Bluesound Node2. It supports a variety of streaming services, supports MQA, has a decent internal DAC and you can stream via bluetooth. $499 is a chunk of cash but it is a great device.

A good bluetooth adapter and external DAC will cost you $400 (Peachtree DAC iTx and Adapter) and you get a ton more from the Bluesound. Just a thought.

Good luck to you and keep us up to date on your progress.

halr75 wrote:

An oft asked scenario but here we go again.

I am looking at the following:
Turntable - Pro-Ject Carbon
Amp - Either Musichall A15.3 ($550ish) or Onkyo A-9010
Speakers - ?!! Q Acoustics 2020i, Monitor Audio Bronze 2, Pioneer SP-BS22-LR

Any other comments/thoughts on a good route to entry at the lowest reasonable cost?

I suggest the Music Hall 15.3 amplifier; very good choice.

For a turntable, I think the Music Hall MMF-2.3 is very good.

I would go for the Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers, or one of the Focal Chorus speakers (look at Music Hall for models and specs).

I have the Music Hall MMF 2.2, had it for about a year, great tt and cheap enough that you can upgrade to a nicer cartridge where the dividends are seemingly paid... I'm looking at the Ortofon 2M Blue (200) and the Clearaudio Concept MM (250). The stock cartridge is fine to start with.
I was VERY close to getting a MH a15.3 and think it offers tremendous value and sounds great. I ended up going with a NuPrime IDA-8 (995) after consideration due to power. Make sure your chosen speakers' efficiency pairs well with the amp you choose.
The Elac's are highly regarded speakers, seemingly across the board, the B6 is probably best bang for buck today. I've yet to heard them but I am very curious to do so... I ended up demoing the Magnapan .7 and the Revel Concerta2 M16, and went with the Revel (900) in the end.
My thread 'baseline system' has a lot of what you mention and might be worth a look.
I spent 2k (already had the tt) and I felt like I stretched my budget about as well as could be stretched. I plan to upgrade to ~1500 phono in the next 12 months or so. I'm going to upgrade my cartridge next, then when I get bored the turntable. Replacing my current KEF ht/sub with a REL or two is in my system's future as well.
Best of luck!
I think you're on a great path, and I think the MH/Elac combo is about as good as you can get for the least $$ (excluding used/DIY, paths I did not consider).

halr75 wrote:

I guess i should clarify, i have a decent amount of vinyl from a prior system that went walk about during relocation 8 years ago. My main impetus is to get back into listening to it again...

OK, if you not allergic to second hand then I would suggest a Japanese Direct Drive. The most famous is the Technics SL1200 family. They are great out of the box - actually you are unlikely to get one boxed - what I mean is that with a bearing service only they are great. There is a truck-load of advice (and then some) on YouTube and Uncle Google in general. 'Philes 'Erb Reichert is a good example of what you can do down the line by way of tweaks. Can't recall the issue but it was a recent article in Stereophile. So you can get up and running now and if the urge to upgrade swells up you can tweak items such as the platter, the feet, the mat, the bearing, the power supply, the chassis. Erb's main tweak was to replace the arm.

I have to say that Pro-Ject Carbon is pretty nice, but the price is making me creep. Plus, I don't really like the the manual speed change that makes little pain.

For Speaker, you really should go with Pioneer. It has deeper bass for w inches woofer.