TT and cartridge choice

zeeeee83, as a non fiddler the last thing you have to have is a removable headshell.  I think the Pro Ject ^ s a great choice. I see them for 2500.00 leaving $1000 for a cartridge. In that price range You have MM cartridges from Audio Technica, Ortofon, Clearaudio and Goldring. The AT VM760SLC is a fine cartridge for that table as is the Ortofon 2M Black.
The Goldring 2500 is supposedly a dynamite moving iron cartridge. It has a tapered cantilever and a dynamite line contact stylus sort of like the Gyger S. The Soundsmith Carmen is the same price but not near as sophisticated. The equivalent Soundsmith cartridge would be The Voice which is a dynamite cartridge but at $3000 .00 it is out of your price range. The Goldring 2500 is an amazing value. It is the one I would get if I were looking for a cartridge in that price range.
A new turntable is always a special occasion . Enjoy!!

mijostyn,

Thank you for the very helpful comment!

That Pro-Ject would be a very nice table. Another one you should take a look at in the same price range is the Music Hall MMF 9.3SE.
https://musichallaudio.com/product/mmf-9-3-turntable/

+1 for the Music Hall 9.3 - they put a lot of good design into this product, especially the arms - the plinth on the 9.3 SE is also very good.

• music hall’s unique triple plinth construction
• one-piece full carbon fiber tonearm
• counterweight’s center of gravity is level with the stylus tip, is decoupled from the arm, and acts as a resonance damper
• completely isolated/decoupled DC motor with 33 and 45 rpm speed controls located in the front left corner of the turntable, thus canceling any potential vibration from the motor/belt to the cartridge
• motor sits on its own resonance damping puck
• optional Goldring Eroica LX low-output moving-coil cartridge with Gyger II line contact stylus ($795 value)
• the cartridge supplied is properly aligned and mounted
• inverted ceramic main bearing for super quiet, fluid operation
• non resonant, 1” thick acrylic platter
• soft felt platter mat
• high quality gold RCA connectors and detachable phono cable
• adjustable tip toe feet with anti scratch cups
• low noise fully manual belt drive design
• built-in round spirit level for proper leveling
• dust cover and 45 rpm adaptor included

You can get the 9.3 with the Goldring Eroica LX
- so try it first before spending money on another cartridge
- always trust your ears

If YOU like it that’s all that matters :-)

Regards - Steve

The Project Pespex is dull and needs more detail and transparency according to What HiFi. I would stay away. The Technics 1200GR (1210 in black) with an AT760SLC mentioned above would be a great table under budget and you’ll have mons left over for software.