Next step in Turntable

From a Pro-Ject Classic a reasonable "next step" could be a Thorens TD1600/01.  The 1600 is 3X the price of a Classic, adds effective sub-chassis isolation, can use your Hana SL nicely. OR you could look into a Well Tempered Amadeus 254 for well under $10K.  Do you have the battery charger power supply for the Phonomena?

I was in the same predicament. I have a Rega P3 and wanted to step up so I went and asked Bob what to do.

Bob at Bob’s Devices is a really great guy and many people think his SUTs are the best way to deal with an MC cartridge. He talked me out of expensive turntables, which he sells, and into one of his SUTs the SKY 20, for medium out put MCs and then said the biggest problem, is that most phono sections are crap.
He told which phono amps he likes, there are only two. And as the one guy did not respond I bought this:

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/345254-eq1616d-phono-amp.html
Now i can build stuff like this, so I just got the kit from Victor as waiting for Sunvalley to build one might take a while.
I’m pretty sure this the right direction to go. Bob says after I get this working well, the SKY 20 to SV-EQ1616D to my preamp, a better cartridge should be next, then after this is all sorted, he will happily sell me a VPI Prime Scout. ;)

The inquiry has gone from revealing the Devices in use and these equate to a calculation that there is probably a $1200 - $1500 TT Set Up in use in a system.
There is also a interest expressed in learning of a Budget that might need to be allocated to produce a New TT Set Up that will potentially outperform the one in use.

Within one day of replies the Budget seems to have hit 10K as a suggestion, and as a acceptable outlay.
I hope that this is not so, I hope the experiences of other Vinyl Sources are pursued prior to even condidering a Budget.
A itch is a itch, and will usually require a scratch at some point. 

If this is the Case I would do as suggested, build up on a Collection of Albums, and select a choice Batch of Albums to be used at the TT demonstrations that are 'Hopefully' going to Organised.

Setting up Auditions of a 10k System from a few different Vendors will be interesting.
Different Drives of Drive Designs, Different Tonearms, Cartridges and Phonostages, will be quite revelatory.
With these Auditions imprinted in ones mind,especially how the Albums being palyed are remembered, will serve as a good foundation for other  arranged visits.
Additionally arrange to visit a few other different Vendors and Audition the same as above at a Budget between 4K-6K. 
 
If all the Auditions can be arranged across a short period of time, the impressions made will be very recollectable, and the shortcomings of a presentation, that leans away from your preferences and attractors can be cherry picked out with considerable ease.

In preparation for this experience, if this type of build up to a Purchase is chosen.
The Home System can be better prepared for the New TT's arrival,
using the already owned TT to assess any benefits to be had from the Preparations.

A Wall Mounted Dedicated TT Mounting Shelf could be installed, if not already in use.
Coming away from using the Factory Supplied Footers and using a Purpose produced Footer can produce very noticeable improvements to a TT's presentation, Bass can appear. 
Trialling a Few Different Platter Mat Materials can change the Presentation of a TT with a remarkable improvement, Bass can appear with a whole new presence.
All the above methods are able to be transferred over, and be used on any New TT Acquisitions.

If the above preparations are utilized, there are additional experiments that can be tried out on the already owned TT,  and when decided, these can again be quite beneficial when used on a different TT.

Revisiting a few of the different Cartridge Alignment Geometries can work to ones favor and offer a presentation that is to an individuals preferences, not all TT owners use the same Geometries.

Building in confidence and taking the Time to Dial in the Cartridge to the alignments where it really 'pops' can in some cases leave the impression a New Cartridge is in use, and Bass can be discovered.

There is very little to lose if the above is adopted.
When coming home from an Audition and putting a used Album onto your System, the findings might just show you the 'Laws of Diminishing Returns' are very prevailant and noticeably evident in your own investigations.         

@frozentundra , I can only tell you what I would buy for that money and I will try to give you reasons why
I would get a Sota Sapphire with the standard drive. If you really want to spend more on the eclipse package, it is your money but you will be hard pressed to notice a difference. Get it with Sota's refex clamp and dust cover.  The Sota Sapphire is a classic turntable. It was the very first suspended turntable to "hang" from it's suspension rather than sit on it like the Thorens and Linn turntables, a much more stable design. It was the first turntable that was totally immune to foot fall and just about everything else. It's dust cover is isolated from the sub chassis to which are mounted the platter and tonearm. You can and should use it during play. It further isolates playback from the environment. The Sota's suspension system was so good it was copied by both Basis and SME.
It is much less sensitive to whatever you place it on. You can strike it vertically with a hammer with the volume all the way up and you will not hear a thing. There is no alternative in this price range. The next step up would be the Sota Cosmos Vacuum followed by the Dohmann Helix.

I would put a Schroder CB tonearm on it. The Schroder is a brilliant design. It has great bearings in the right locations limiting warp wow, magnetic antiskating (no friction) and no unnecessary contacts between the cartridge and phono stage. It is a neutral balance arm, VTF does not change with elevation. It is, in spite of it's sophistication very simple looking. I love that.  Alternatives would be the Reed 2G and the Kuzma 4 Point 9

Next would be the cartridge. I would get a Soundsmith "The Voice"  It is a moderate output moving iron design with a top notch fine line stylus and ruby cantilever. It is a far better value than any moving coil cartridge in some ways there is no moving coil cartridge that can outperform it. It will be more dynamic and have a much better signal to noise ratio. I doubt there is a moving coil cartridge that can out track it. The Soundsmith is made in the States and service is reported to be excellent. Re tipping is relatively inexpensive. Alternatives would be the Clearaudio Charisma, a great rock and roll cartridge for sure and a grand less expensive than the Soundsmith. The least expensive moving coil cartridge I really like is the Ortofon Windfeld Ti. It is 1 grand more expensive than the Soundsmith and to get the best out of it one should have a current mode phono stage like the Channel D Lino C

In disclosure I have both a Schroder CB and Soundsmith Voice sitting in boxes waiting for their turntable, a Sota Cosmos Vacuum.

Pindac, I think you making life far more complicated than it needs to be.
First of all, how a turntable sounds under optimal conditions is not the only important characteristic to pay attention to. There are other issues that are very important such as how well is the cartridge isolated from the environment and how well does the tonearm track a warped record? How nice is the turntable to use? Can you put your hand down on it to cue a record? 
Much of a turntable's and tonearm's performance can be determined by just looking at them with a critical eye. They are in truth very simple mechanical devices. All good turntables with the same cartridge mounted under optimal conditions are going to sound pretty much the same...except maybe to audiophiles to whom hearing is synonymous to hallucinating.