Back to basics

Tough to say for sure without knowing the rest of your gear, but take a look at Pro-Ject and Rega. Good tables, solid value and decent sound for under $500 including arm and MM cartridge. They both also offer higher end units for not much more $$$ than their entry-level stuff. Good luck & happy listening!

I don't know if my solution will work for you, but what I did was purchase an old Garrard 401 on Ebay UK, refurbish it, build a plinth, and mount my (used) arm of choice, a Dynavector 501.

This made an excellent project for me, and has turned out to be a superior record spinner. It is far from store bought, and can be built many different ways to suit your tastes.

It's something to think about, and perhaps look into. To see photos of many DIY Garrards, Google Rodney Eugenio's The Analog Dept.

Best of luck, regards,
Dan

The new Well Tempered "Amadeus Mk-II" looks really interesting $2850.00
(see August Stereophile).