Vellum,
I have the Planar 3/RB300 setup with a Grado Platinum Reference cartridge. One thing you should be aware of is the (slightly) audible hum the Planar motor will generate in this cartridge. It might not suit your expectations. It is something I am becoming less tolerant of as time goes by. I was sold this combo on the advice that the performance otherwise was a worthwhile the trade off. I have no experience with anything else in this price/performance range, so I can't compare to other recommendations.
natureboy
I have the Planar 3/RB300 setup with a Grado Platinum Reference cartridge. One thing you should be aware of is the (slightly) audible hum the Planar motor will generate in this cartridge. It might not suit your expectations. It is something I am becoming less tolerant of as time goes by. I was sold this combo on the advice that the performance otherwise was a worthwhile the trade off. I have no experience with anything else in this price/performance range, so I can't compare to other recommendations.
natureboy