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.

Spiritofmusic, I'm happy you're happy with your TT. That's all that really matters. That said just because something is pricier does not mean it's better. This does not automatically make the cheaper table among the best though. It just means that some TT's are over priced for the performance they offer.

I have not heard the Trans Fi so can not comment on it's performance. Have you heard the tables you mentioned? How about in your own system? If not how can you be sure your TT is competitive?

I had a VPI Classic 1 in my system and know it's short comings. I can confidently say it is not among the best. Not to say it's bad it just falls short in a few areas. I've also heard the Amadeus at a dealer directly compared to the VPI Classic that I bought. The Amadeus was pleasing to the ear and I did like it a bit better than the Classic at the time but the Amadeus had a Dynavector 17D3 and the Classic had a 20XL. I own both those carts and I much prefer the 17D3.

I happen to agree with Lewm on the Amadeus arm. There is no way to be precise with the alignment on that arm because of it's design. This results in less clarity in sound than is possible with other arms. It does make it easier to setup though.

Vinylmad, As I see it the biggest weakness of the Classic is the motor and belt. The motor is nothing special and the belt is very elastic. The more elastic the belt the more it will cover up cogging from the motor. This comes at a cost though. The cost is smeared sound. This is not readily apparent unless compared to something that does not have this problem. I did not discover it was a problem until I bought a Teres outboard motor and used tape drive on the Classic instead. After switching back and forth it was obvious the tape drive was clearer sounding. With the tape drive I could hear speed inconsistencies (cogging) more clearly though. With my current direct drive TT the Technics SP10 mk2a I have neither problem. The other problems of the Classic are minor and can be solved by tweaking such as using different footers etc.

Really good drive systems are expensive and I don't expect to see really good ones on new $3k TT's. If your budget is $3k I would not worry about it too much unless you are comfortable with DIY and can build a plinth yourself. If so you can experiment with a Lenco, Technics SP10 or other vintage DD TT's. I have not heard Lewm's Kenwood L-07d but it looks like a winner and does not need a plinth.

I have heard some very good belt drives and the best was the TechDas Air Force One. It uses a non elastic fiber belt with a rubber coating to grip the platter. I believe the motor is servo controlled as well. It may have some give due to the rubber coating but it's not much. Most of the really good belt drives are very spendy though.

Some people don't like the sound of DD tables and prefer the sound of belt drive. If they are both done well they both sound good to me. The only way to find out what you prefer is to get out and hear as many different setups as you can.