The best TT system for under 30K


Hi agoners! 

I have been floored by Kuzma Stabi XL DC with 4 points TA on a recent audition. It was extremely analog sounding, insane details with speed, beat and clarity that made me wonder if I am listening to a live concert, just can’t help my toe tapping. Was comparing the sound to the top of the line Accuphase CD player with the same rest of system and it was no contest. 

Switching from Accuphase CD player to Kuzma XL DC was sounding like adding a pair of subwoofer and going up 2-3 levels on the rest of the system. Mind you the rest of the system was Accuphase E-650 class A integrated that should favor the Accuphase same brand CD player but that wasn’t the case. The speaker was Kerr Acoustics K300 under 10K entry level bookshelf and the sound of the entire entry level system armed with Kuzma XL DC beat the hell out of the entire super high end system the dealer has on the other listening room with Avalon PM3 speakers, Accuphase A-250 monos, Audionet Stern Preamp with Accuphase CD player. 

However obviously I cannot afford the whole set of Kuzma XL DC considering I am also in the process of upgrading my existing system. What will be the closest contender in the US$30.000 retail price range that has the same sonic signature as Kuzma XL DC? 

Thanks in advance for any advices!!
uwiikz
@lalitk thanks, I will check out with the REL dealer on Monday to see if home audition is possible. I originally planned for JL because it has built in room correction. I am concerned if blending the sub perfectly will be tough without built in room correction and I like the idea of cutting the frequency going to main speaker and JL can do that. 
Just updated my virtual system. Result after A-250... I am in heaven. It was unbelievable, Yuko Mabuchi’s Piano sounds very very real, Miles Davis too and everything else was magical...I ended up upgrading the cartridge to Miyajima Madake from Kansui, exact same sound just a tad more dynamics
@uwiikz just out of curiosity don't you get footfall issues with the Kuzma just sitting on that table? Looks like you had to use a napkin under one of the table legs so it wouldn't wobble. With such a great turntable you should be looking at some sort of isolation device. Just an opinion.
Enjoy
@uwiikz- sounds like you are on the right track in dealing with the room; to me, parquet would be better than tile, but is still a hard surface; I have wooden floors covered with a large old Persian rug. 
I use bass traps in various corners, have fairly thick cellular or honeycomb type window shades to deal with the glass in the side windows-- the front wall has large windows that are covered first by a thick somewhat absorptive material similar to sail cloth, with several layers of curtains heavily bunched together over them-- it's enough to eliminate that window as a factor. Do read Jim Smith's book- he does in-room set ups at people's homes for a fee and a lot of basics are covered in the book (travel expenses would exceed his fee in your case), but the more familiar you are with your own system in your room, the better you can dial it in; my system took a few years to get right when I lived in NY and when I moved to Texas, and had a new to me room in an old house, I had a pretty good idea of how it would lay out. It still took time to dial it in though-- through measuring, listening and moving the speakers in slight increments. So, by the time you have readied your dedicated room, you'll probably have more experience with the system, what it can do and where its weaknesses are. Small changes can make big differences in set up, particularly with turntables and speaker positioning in the room. 

I don't like over damped rooms with too much treatment- they sound too dead to me. You'll find a balance, the more you listen the more you become accustomed to what the equipment can do and if you are willing to experiment a little, you can optimize positioning.
 
The turntable does require something that is not susceptible to footfalls and it is very heavy, as you know. If you look at my system page, you'll see how I have it mounted on an HRS platform, which in turn, sits on a big Minus K isolation platform. Franc sells an active isolation device but it isn't really meant to deal with footfalls- he assumes you'd be on a concrete slab but the active devices are typically used to improve the overall performance of the equipment by isolation. Mike Lavigne, who is probably one of the best known members here, has done a deep dive on these things and would be a good source of information about them if you are curious. Just note that they won't solve a footfall problem; the Minus K will. 
@rsf507 sharp eyes in noticing the folded paper on the temporary table leg 😂😂😂....I am waiting for my custom solid teak wood table to be delivered. The table top will be CNC cut to ensure perfect flatness and the legs will have stillpoint spike.