What turntable in the $2500 range?

Get a vintage Technics SL-1700mk2 and update the mat to a new SL-1200mk2 mat (same mat used on both), change the feet to SL-1200mk2 feet (more isolation because the feet are all the 1200 has, but the 1700mk2 has a sprung suspension and lousy feet)... and upgrade the tonearm wires to top grade silicone wires, upgrade the interconnects to balanced, shielded microphone cable with the shield tied to the tonearm ground; and last but not least, install an Audio Technica VM540ML cartridge. You can do all of this plus a complete tear down and overhaul of the SL-1700mk2 and have $500 to $1000 left over for a nice phono stage with discrete op-amps. 

Silicon is not a good conductor and where even would you buy silicon wires? Perhaps you meant teflon which is a good dielectric (insulator) material, but that still leaves open the choice of copper vs silver, stranded vs solid core, etc.

Not yet mentioned, but would definitely meet your requirements is the 
Music Hall - Stealth Turntable. For $1699 including an Ortofon 2M Blue, dust cover and cables, it is a direct drive table with a substantially heavier platter than the equivalent Technics, a better tonearm with removeable headshell, better feet, and IMHO better looking. And, it stops at the end of the record. 

My Plan B recommendation would be finding a used VPI Scout, or better, a Prime Scout. Haters will rant about the unipivot arm, but the fact is that they sound really, really good, and aren't as difficult to cue as they would have you believe. What is undeniable is the sound quality and the fact that they are, especially the Prime Scout with its 22Lb platter and 10.5' 3D Printed arm, the entry point to the 'heavy hitter' class of turntables, and they look it.

Easy.

Nothing in that price limit touches the Technics 1200/12010GR2. 

https://sam-audio.eu/

I recommend looking into Small Audio Manufacture.   Great turntables built to order. I wrote a very detailed review for Audiogon.