A hair above your budget but the Musical Fidelity NuVista Vinyl is spectacular. Full sound, a hair warm and brilliant with Ortofon cartridges though it is $3700. I would be using this unit with my Cadenza Blue if I wasn’t the importer for Art Audio. The list of units that beats the MF is short but quite distinguished. Many MF dealers will probably find the flexibility to fall in your budget.
The other I would look at is the Rogue Ares Magnum. In the beefy part of your budget at $2800, it was the unit I was looking at prior to entering the industry. Rogue makes great equipment and this unit stands out.
Full disclosure, I am an MF dealer so I am a hair biased in it’s favor but MF has a stellar reputation for making great phono stages. I have no relationship with Rogue. I am also, obviously a fan of tube phono stages.
The other I would look at is the Rogue Ares Magnum. In the beefy part of your budget at $2800, it was the unit I was looking at prior to entering the industry. Rogue makes great equipment and this unit stands out.
Full disclosure, I am an MF dealer so I am a hair biased in it’s favor but MF has a stellar reputation for making great phono stages. I have no relationship with Rogue. I am also, obviously a fan of tube phono stages.