turntable recommendations

@stantheman2   About 6 months ago I bought a Raga Planar 10 with Lyra Delos.  I also bought a better phono stage than what I had and chose the Manley Chinook.  This combination is fantastic!  I am amazed with the sound quality and mesmerizing effect every time I listen to it.  Should you end up going with either the Planar 8 or Planar 10 I can tell you that what you place them on will make a profound difference.  A flimsy foundation will not do well.  A solid foundation is critical.  I also highly recommend adding a Symposium Acoustics Segue platform.  I did, and also added the Rollerblock Jr+ and it made a significant improvement in bass definition.  It is a journey, no doubt, but these things can be added over time and as budget permits.  By all means, begin with a great turntable and cartridge.  You can upgrade to a superior phono stage and other items over time.  The phono stage, however, being the greatest upgrade so pay attention to that one first.  I hope this helps you.  In any event, do enjoy the journey and the music.

My vote is for a VPI Classic 3 with a ART 9. I was using this cartridge on my Classic 3 while waiting for my Koetsu to come back from  a Soundsmith  retipping. I still have it mounted on my second arm wand and listen to it often.
This is a great combo and used will come well within your budget. Please note that this is the old ART 9 and not the new model, but I’m sure the new one is even better. As a added bonus Harry and his son Matt at VPI are some of the best people in this industry.They will bend over backwards for you if you ever require their assistance. This I know first hand and the main reason I will would never consider any other brand table!

I think the Feikert Volare/OL Silver is a great combo. I have heard it (albeit in an unfamiliar system) and it checked a bunch of boxes. Simple, elegant, well built with a really good arm for the money. I would suggest mounting a Charisma Audio MC-2 at $1500 and you will be good to go. The ART 9 is another nice choice for slightly less money. Or, for a bit more money but an end of time option check out the new Sempersonus TE-2, which can be purchased with the same OL Silver arm. Mount your Dyna until it falls down dead and save your money for a nice Charisma, ART 9 or Benz and be off the merry go round.

To OP, stantheman2:
I have been using a setup of Dr. Feickert Volare table with Jelco TK-850 9-inch arm and Hana ML cartridge since this spring. I highly recommend the Volare as it's a very solid and silent table. Music just flows and the table just completely disappears. I also like the ML cartridge a lot, very open sound stages with clear and clean high notes. As the time of my consideration, I also looked into the Clearaudio performance DC wood and a VPI prime, but went with Volare. Chris Feickert is also very accessible and answers technical questions, which I always view as a plus. 

The Thales Slim ii is $6750. If you can find someone who during these times would be willing to knock 10% off that gets you to $6,000. It's $1k above your budget, but this table could really be the last you would ever want to own at any budget.