I want to upgrade my Turntable to something heavier

I am not sure any of you guys are familiar with the Pro-Ject X8.  Wind you guys up and all you want to do is talk about what you know and if you don't know about something else it can't be as good as yours.  Besides me, have any of you ever even seen, much less set up or listened to an X8?  If you have, then your opinion might be worth offering in discussion in this thread.  If you have no experience with the X8 then you should recognize that your input is not relevant to the OP's inquery.  The X8 happens to be an excellent turntable.  In the same league with the Dr. Feikert probably although I can't say that definitively because I have not compared them side by side.  But you get the idea, very, very good.  

@alahankbear ,

How exactly do the dogs fit into to this scenario??

Just about any phono cartridge can be connected in balanced mode, if you have a balanced phono stage.  (And there is little to be gained with a balanced phono unless the downstream electronics are also balanced.) The turntable itself does not give a hoot whether the cartridge is running in balanced mode or single-ended mode.  So you can choose any turntable without regard to that issue.  Likewise, most tonearms can easily be connected either way. As to whether to seek a balanced setup, I personally prefer it and use it in one of my two systems, but I would recommend it only because if done right, you will have no hum due to ground faults.  On the other hand, my second system is single-ended and also has no hum due to ground faults.  I do not think one is better than the other purely based on sound quality alone. The other factor is the length of your interconnects.  If you must run long ICs (let’s say greater than 15-20 feet between preamplifier and amplifier or amp and speakers) then there may be sonic advantages to balanced mode.  This is not to say you should use such long phono cables; they should be kept as short as practical regardless of the circuit. 

I luv animals but in no way would I allow them around my stereo system.