New turntable

@catahula_bill - Nothing wrong with VPI - great turntables.

However take a look at Music Hall MMF11.3 - why?

• Unique quadruple-plinth design wtih sorbothane vibration isolationn
• One-piece Project ‘9cc Evolution’ carbon fiber tonearm
• Arm uses four hardened Swiss ABEC 7 ball races in an inverted bearing design
• Tonearm is internally wired with flexible wire drawn from high purity copper with only two contact points from cartridge to output connectors
• Counterweight’s center of gravity is level with the stylus tip is decoupled from the arm and acts as a resonance damper
• Fully adjustable azimuth, VTA, and dampened arm lift
• Exclusive microprocessor electronic speed controlled dual motor single flywheel drive system
• 33 1⁄3 and 45 rpm speed change at the touch of button
• Motors and flywheel assembly are isolated on mass loaded resonant sink connected to the lower plinth
• the dual motor flywheel system sits on the left side of the turntable thus eliminating all motor and belt vibration from the cartridge
• Magnetic-levitation adjustable isolation feet
• inverted ceramic main bearing for super quiet fluid operation
• thick acrylic platter with a removable acrylic dustcover
• high quality, gold RCA connectors with detachable phono cable
• low noise fully manual belt-drive design, dustcover, 45rpm adaptor
• ships securely in a substantial wood box

It’s well within your budget and there are deals out there (so shop around) and you will have enough for a really great cartridge - maybe a Sound-smith? And a good interconnect cable !

The MMF 9.3 is even more affordable and almost as good

If looks matter - there is a really nice Walnut plinth option

https://musichallaudio.com/

Good luck - Steve

+1 for the Acoustic Signature and they come in at different price points and with a 15 year warranty (for the table)! I have the Hurricane Neo with a Kuzma 4Point9 arm. Obviously above your budget, but you may be able to get a deal on some models. Check out the Double X NEO.

bombproof SOTA Sapphire refurbished from factory, Origin Live Arm and the best Soundsmith or Ortofon or Audio Technica with the $ you have left.  I love the Hana Umami suggestion but it’s $4 k…….

I am a direct drive robot

+1 for VPI, just on the basis of their great customer service.

I would avoid Music Hall at all costs, just on the basis of their customer service.

I recently purchased a reconditioned Sota Sapphire.  I went old school with a NOS Jelco 750D, but there are a lot of great choices for tonearms.  It's really a beautiful table and sounds wonderful.

That was an upgrade from an Acoustic Signature Wow XL with the TA-1000 tonearm.  That was also a very nice table and before that a VPI Classic 2 with Classic 3 tonearm.  All very nice tables.

I have not gone as far up the Music Hall line as suggested by another poster, I stopped at the 7.1.  They are decent and affordable tables, but I wouldn't put them in the same league with any of the three I just mentioned.