Whacky,
I have the Chinook, ART 9 cartridge, and Primaluna Dialogue HP integrated as a pairing--I have all 3 running off a Technics 1200 GAE and feeding PSB Imagine T2s.
They all sound great together.
I can tell you you that the ART 9 is superb. I'd pay $2k for it, but it costs only $1k.
The Chinook is just great. It is, as others note, DEAD quiet. It's also got some serious MC gain. Someone on here once pushed me really hard to upgrade my phono preamp, saying it would make the most difference. I have to say that that guy was spot on. Swapping out different cartridges, integrateds, and cables did not make as big of difference as a solid phono preamp like the Chinook.
I would do what others have said and buy a used phono pre of high caliber (budgeting $1k-1500), a new cartridge of great quality but not big money ($1k or so), and put the remainder on the table (~$2,500 -3k). But I'd leave room in my analysis for fuzzy logic--e.g., if I saw the right table come up but it left me shaving a bit on a cartridge I might allocate funds around because a cartridge is easier to swap out/in than a whole new table.
I'd definitely be open to and curious to hear the iPhono2 http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-iphono2/. Michael Fremer and others think this thing is amazing for $1k. It could free up some money for you to push towards a table.
Sorry that I cannot be too much help in just recommending the whole package, which your question asks. I think you have a great budget and are likely to be getting into the area where you will get intoxicating sound or close to it.
By the way, the ART9 fit my needs so well because it allowed me to stay under $1k on the cartridge while getting a great table and phono pre. I love the cartridge and my TT and pre give me room to put on a pricier cartridge in the future, while I don't feel I'm missing much in the present.
Best of luck and keep us posted on your journey.
I have the Chinook, ART 9 cartridge, and Primaluna Dialogue HP integrated as a pairing--I have all 3 running off a Technics 1200 GAE and feeding PSB Imagine T2s.
They all sound great together.
I can tell you you that the ART 9 is superb. I'd pay $2k for it, but it costs only $1k.
The Chinook is just great. It is, as others note, DEAD quiet. It's also got some serious MC gain. Someone on here once pushed me really hard to upgrade my phono preamp, saying it would make the most difference. I have to say that that guy was spot on. Swapping out different cartridges, integrateds, and cables did not make as big of difference as a solid phono preamp like the Chinook.
I would do what others have said and buy a used phono pre of high caliber (budgeting $1k-1500), a new cartridge of great quality but not big money ($1k or so), and put the remainder on the table (~$2,500 -3k). But I'd leave room in my analysis for fuzzy logic--e.g., if I saw the right table come up but it left me shaving a bit on a cartridge I might allocate funds around because a cartridge is easier to swap out/in than a whole new table.
I'd definitely be open to and curious to hear the iPhono2 http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/micro-iphono2/. Michael Fremer and others think this thing is amazing for $1k. It could free up some money for you to push towards a table.
Sorry that I cannot be too much help in just recommending the whole package, which your question asks. I think you have a great budget and are likely to be getting into the area where you will get intoxicating sound or close to it.
By the way, the ART9 fit my needs so well because it allowed me to stay under $1k on the cartridge while getting a great table and phono pre. I love the cartridge and my TT and pre give me room to put on a pricier cartridge in the future, while I don't feel I'm missing much in the present.
Best of luck and keep us posted on your journey.