turntable recommendations

To OP, stantheman2:
I have been using a setup of Dr. Feickert Volare table with Jelco TK-850 9-inch arm and Hana ML cartridge since this spring. I highly recommend the Volare as it's a very solid and silent table. Music just flows and the table just completely disappears. I also like the ML cartridge a lot, very open sound stages with clear and clean high notes. As the time of my consideration, I also looked into the Clearaudio performance DC wood and a VPI prime, but went with Volare. Chris Feickert is also very accessible and answers technical questions, which I always view as a plus. 

The Thales Slim ii is $6750. If you can find someone who during these times would be willing to knock 10% off that gets you to $6,000. It's $1k above your budget, but this table could really be the last you would ever want to own at any budget. 

Hi stantheman2

Auditioning one analog rig against another is almost impossible, very frustrating. Sure, you can go to your local dealer and They might have turntables in the store that are setup properly, you might be able to listen to one or two or if you’re really lucky, maybe three setups in the same general price point. But the problem is, there are a hundred analog rigs out there that you can’t audition. So you go to another store and hear the one or two rigs they have set up on different electronics and in a different room, with a different cartridge etc. 

Analog has made such a big comeback in the last five years and there are so many good rigs available today that running around from store to store is almost a waste of time. In my opinion, there’s two ways to buy a good analog front end. If you have a good local brick and mortar dealer in your area that you can trust, tell them what you want and let them know your budget and buy the setup that they feel will give you the best bang for your buck. The most important thing to remember is can the preferably willing to deliver it to your home and do the setup. If you let them set it up in their shop, by the time you get it home, it will need the setup dialed in again. When it comes to analog, proper set is crucial. Also, buying a table from one company and a tonearm from another and a cartridge from yet another increases the likelihood of those products not being properly matched to work well with one another. 

The other way to buy an analog rig is to look at the company, we’re is it made, how long have they been in business, do they specialize in turntables and if EVERY reviewer says the same thing about their product and they all like the product, you are more likely to choose a good setup. Rega for example. They’ve been making tables, arms & cartridges for over 40 years. They are built in the Uk and most importantly are designed to work together. They are always going to be around and they extremely reliable. You could always pay someone to set it up properly. That would be one of my first choices. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Scot

I was recently in the exact same position. I had a project xpression with upgrades and wanted a significant improvement on a budget of $3000. I tried a Rega P6 with Exact which was only slightly better than what I had. The owner of the audio store I deal with got me to stretch to $3200 for a VPI Prime Scout. Needless to say from the time I dropped the needle, I could hear a drastic improvement. I am extremely happy. Everything I listen to now is like a brand new sound. I have not one second of regret. Plus it looks amazing.