Can a $3K table be among the best out there?

No. A new $3K TT can be pretty good and maybe all some people need but I've never heard one I would consider among the best. It's just not possible to build and market a TT for that price and get top performance.

With the right knowledge and skills you might be able to DIY one for $3K if you don't account for time and labor.

Sorry Sarcher, but it is: Trans Fi Audio Salvation. If you can stretch to $3500-$4000, to include dedicated arm. I was ready to shell out on the 5-10x pricier SME 30 and TW Acustic AC3, when I heard this gem. Now it's the one in my system.

A $300.00 table can be among the "best" out there if you want it to be.

Dear Vicdamone, You are not the first to repeat the claim made by WT that their tonearm has "no bearing". However, if you apply the formal definition of a bearing, I think their claim is rubbish. The arm pivots at a fixed point at its rear (I hope). Ergo, it has a bearing. What it has is a rather sloppy bearing, but a bearing, nevertheless. This is not to belittle the Amadeus as a tonearm/turntable entity; it must do a lot right, because it has an army of devoted followers.

Could a $3K turntable be among the best out there? Probably not, but at that price point it could be "good enough".

01-28-13: Tpreaves
A $300.00 table can be among the "best" out there if you want it to be.

Good comment. And true :-)
For some MP3 is the next best after sliced bread. You find that also in Analog reproduction.

01-28-13: Lewm
Dear Vicdamone, You are not the first to repeat the claim made by WT that their tonearm has "no bearing". However, if you apply the formal definition of a bearing, I think their claim is rubbish. The arm pivots at a fixed point at its rear (I hope). Ergo, it has a bearing. What it has is a rather sloppy bearing, but a bearing, nevertheless. This is not to belittle the Amadeus as a tonearm/turntable entity; it must do a lot right, because it has an army of devoted followers.

Could a $3K turntable be among the best out there? Probably not, but at that price point it could be "good enough".

Also a good comment. A Tonearm has to guide a Cartridge, not the other way. The WT Design is brilliant from the costs, it offers a good Package for someone who wants something which is not a total money burner (based on the first WT Designs). The WT ARm was always a good pricing but when you compared it to a much more expensive Graham Arm you will hear the Differences. Anyway, each his own, That Arm was copied with a piece of wood, two Magnets, 7000 USD, 1.5 years waiting list and that is a real joke. But you will find much more which is very expensive and at the end of day, lower average from performance.
Our time is tough, but modern :-)