Papa Tom, you're overthinking this.

Buy something that's well recommended and moderately priced. Too cheap will almost surely be crap, make you angry, and be a waste of money. Too expensive may be for something that's fantastic for someone else but not you. With a moderately priced setup, you'll either like or not, but after using it, you'll know what changes you need, and you'll be well informed to buy something fantastic for you.