Turntable advice

My suggestion would be to look at a used VPI Classic 1 with a JMW arm, which tend to hit the market used for around $2K or less. It is truly a high-performer with a 20lb aluminum platter and very heavy plinth. The tonearm tracks very well, and the whole turntable can be upgraded - tonearms, footers, clamps, etc.

For cartridges, I would look for an Audio Technica ART9 xi. Best cartridge around $1K hands down, the only cartridges I liked after owning the ART9 cost $5K+. This though would require you to have a moving coil phono stage.

For phono and amp, if you do not look into a speaker amplifier, then look into the Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 and Woo Audio WA7 fireflies which is an incredible tube headphone amp with a great built in DAC. 

If you play your cards right you should be able to get all this for less than $5K, but you may need to leave a little extra for quality cables as these components will absolutely require them for optimal performance. 

@baylinor the OP may need to explain what ease of cartridge alignment means. They may mean being able to dial it in correctly. In the original post, it was stated that the Rega P6 was a turn off because of lack of VTA or azimuth adjustment. The Classic has everything he was asking for considering the jig for the tonearm and ability to align the cartridge against it. I too owned the Classic for almost as long. I found it is easy to align a cartridge to sound good after the learning curve.