Is a GREAT turntable under $2000 possible???

I have to add...
If your system budget is over $20,000, you could do far worse than checking out the Technics 1200G.  These new Technics tables are a different animal than the old Technics 1200 series tables (although they look the same).  As an old AR and Grarrard guy, and more recently a fan of British belt drive tables, I am not enamored of the looks (your audiophile friends will deride you for having an 80's style DJ 'table), but soon you will be having the last laugh when you stop looking and start listening.

The Technics 1200GR is the best turntable I could find for my under $5000.00 vinyl front end project (buying new;  if you are willing to go used you can likely do better in some respects, but at some risk).  The 1200 GR is not the end-all/be-all of turntables, but it is a solid performer and flexible platform that allows for simple set-up and easy experimentation with various cartridges.  Climbing up the ladder from there requires careful matching between cartridges, tonearms, and preamps (and a lot more attention to system synergy).  If your total system budget is under $20,000, and you are not inclined to endless critical tinkering and evaluation, the 1200 GR would be well worth investigating.

Forget to mention that the Schiit Mani will work with your modified Denon 103 when you get it.  You will be surprised.  I ran a regular 103 through it and was impressed.  I'll admit I have stepped up my MC game a bit, but I probably spend more time listening to my MM carts.  Go figure!

While you are waiting around for the Zu modified 103 and stressing out over compliance issues and phono-preamp matching, get ye an Ortophon 2M Blue and a Schiit Mani and listen to some records. There are tons of really cool MM carts out there that will be fun to try without breaking the bank. I’ve got an old Grado that brings me back to listening to Zep in the dorm, an AT 440 mlc that still gets into rotation, and a new Mofi MasterTracker that is sublime (got that instead of the Ortophon 2M black, but it was a close race). Also have a few old Stantons and Pickerings that are fun to dink around with, and an old Shure V-15 V that is a bit high compliance but works fine with the brush down. Buy a couple cheap headshells and a 6 pack and you’ll be having more fun than you thought possible without breaking any laws!