$2000 turntable system

90%+ of  the albums I have purchased are either original analog recordings or reissues remastered from original analog tapes.  About a third of these are AAA (all analog) which is what has contributed to the relatively high cost for me.  If It is clear that the original mastering was digital AND the cd mastering is no better or worse than the mastering for vinyl, I opt for the cd .  Still do not have setup for streaming, but expect to incorporate hi-rez playback in the near future.  Still prefer vinyl ( I grew up with it in the 60's and 70's) .

Yogiboy wrote:

This is nice at $1495 for table.
Cartridge $350.
The Vincent phono looks like a winner at $299
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/gem-dandy-polytable/

Not only did the GEM Polytable fare well in the Absolute Sound review, it got Class B status in the Stereophile review by Michael Fremer (review not available onlien yet). This is by a considerable margin the curent lowest price Stereophile Class B recommended turntable.

Another candidate for cartridge for the Polytable is the Shelter 201 (used in the Absolute Sound review). Although it lists for $310 stateside, you can get it from Japanese dealers on Amazon and eBay for around $167. At that price it’s a stone cold bargain (I have one and love it).

A low price, high (relative) performance alternative for the Vincent phono stage would be the Schiit Mani for $129.

Another alternative: If you go with the Polytable at $1495 plus a Japan-sourced Shelter 201, you’re at $1657. You’d be only $161 over your $2K budget to upgrade to the Vincent 2-chassis, tube-powered PHO-700 for $499.95.

I have a tubed phono stage. They can make quite a difference.

Rega PL3 turntable $945
Rega TT PSU power supply $395
Rega Exact 2 MM cartridge $595
Parasound Zphono phono stage $199
Total: $2134
Was considering Vincent PHO 8 phono stage $299 and Dynavector 10x5 MC cartridge $650 as alternatives.
Any suggestions?

Yeah, get the DV 10X5 and especially the Vincent PHO 8 instead.  Much better cartridge and phono stage that what you originally listed above.

Never underestimate the phono stage when setting up an analog front end.  Good luck brother.

Looks like the GEM Polytable uses the Jelco SA-250 tonearm but can upgrade to the SA 750-D for $200. Gonna take a hard look at it.
You guys have given me pile of homework. Much Appreciated!

 And TAS 2015 Product of the Year for  GEM Polytable is definitely a significant recommendation.