Turntable options

I would look into the Herron? that gets raves here from a bunch of folks who own it. I haven’t heard it so can’t comment on it. I would not put the money into a Steelhead unless you are after a lot of flexibility and are prepared to roll tubes- and I found that using straight in was a little too lean for my taste. I added a Lamm L2 line stage and that fleshed it out. But even with that, my overall sound definitely improved with the Allnic 3000 but I think part of this is system dependent. (Some people find the Allnic a little burnished- not 'clear' enough). 
I don’t know that my system is jumpy and hectic, @Inna- it isn’t dynamic speakers and big power, but it often has the vibe of a well worn baseball glove. :)
To me, the quest for a phono stage is separate from your quest for a good table that you can live with for a long time, though Inna correctly points out that the end result of your vinyl playback will be dependent on the quality of the phono stage.
One table that always fascinated me though I never owned it was the Verdier Platine. It’s sort of the opposite of what I was recommending in terms of built in isolation, like the Kuzma Reference. But, at a certain level, there are many extremely good tables, so I don’t want to sound like have an agenda to tell you what I think is "best." There ain’t no such animal.

A little, Bill, a little. Horns.
Anyway, yes, table itself first, no doubt. But it can't play all by itself. Vinyl is a pain.

hambon,

wharts comments #1, mulveling comments # 2, inna comments #3, my comments, maybe #10.

Take your time with the vinyl route. Costs rise exponentially. An Oops moment with a !0K  - 15 K cartridge will hurt. I agree with whart, we are in the golden age the Golden Age of Analog.

Take your time, your budget will get you a Great analog rig to start. You can go as far as your wallet will take you. You do not need to spend it all right away.

I became a DD convert in April 2018. Modded Technics SL1200 G w/Triplanar Classic SE arm. Bought a Kuzma TT in 2016. Unless I win a large lottery, these will be my last TTs.

Isolation; A separate room for the TT and gear or TTs and gear. Only cost me 800K. You will still want some extra isolation. Don't forget about all of those boxes for this stuff. You need a room just for them.

This should be fun, use your ears.

Best on your Journey

I'd go with the VPI's Direct Drive.   If you have any further questions on it, feel free to PM me anytime.    Cartridge choice is always variable based on your preferences, and would need more info on your tastes to give some options.  

Best of luck with the search!  

@hambon said:

I can’t get on the DD Technics wagon.... maybe I need to learn more about there stuff.

Being an educated consumer is essential. Sure, you can achieve great satisfaction with esoteric gear. The problem is that you may never experience the peak potential satisfaction unless you look analytically at the challenge. It’s all in the details. And then there is the matter of articulating yourself to the product specialists. So much can be lost in communication. (their? .... there? .... they’re? ....) If you are serious about your pursuit, invest the time to learn the rationale behind why Technics direct drive turntables are so widely accepted. (It isn’t because of all the rappers that destroy them!). Take some time and investigate what a moving coil can do, compared to a moving magnet. Don’t let other people make up your mind for you. And lastly, decide if you could fill your needs at a lower price point - many less expensive turntable / cartridge / phono stage solutions can perform every bit as well as (or better than) much of the stratospherically priced gear. That money you could save might buy you more financial security in retirement if you put it into your investment portfolio. Just a few thoughts.