how much should I spend to get a better turntable than my current turntable?

Another vote for the Dual 1019.  It was a beautiful piece of equipment when I saw one in college.  Edge-on, you couldn't tell if the table was spinning unless it had some marking -- its machining was so precise that it was hard to see the motion.

The ELAC Miracord 50H is also a great table of the same vintage.  Not quite as well-engineered as the Dual 1019, it had its own beauty plus really nice feather touch mechanical control buttons.

Sounds like a downgrade from the Music Hall. Hopefully you can return it. The 2.2 is a budget table. I have one still. If you move up to the 5.X or 7.X series or one of the mid-range Pro-ject tables you'll be a lot better off. Maybe a used one already set up for you.

seriously grateful for the feedback to all of you! I do feel this would be a compromise in that it is a so-so upgrade to the music hall. It does sound slightly better but no magic, like my other components. Next stop Rega, it seems?

Just trying to be helpful here, but I think the tonearm balancing instructions in the Fluance manual are not as clear as they could be for folks who are not already familiar with the procedure. 

Step 6 is:

“Set only the counterweight indicator ring to “0” on the center line while keeping the tonearm balanced then lock the tonearm on the tonearm rest.”

Step 6 should be:

“Lock the balanced tonearm on the tonearm rest, then rotate the counterweight indicator ring to zero with one hand while holding the counterweight stationary with the other hand.”

@rockrider got it! Yes, now it makes sense. A World of difference, thank you!