I'll be the first to admit--I only have hands-on experience with a few turntables, and I've directly heard several more including SMEs, an AMG, Ayre/DPS, and a few others.
But based on what I've read, I'd give a serious look at the Merrill-Williams R.E.A.L. 101.2 turntable. It starts at $6400 w/o tonearm, but when you add an armboard and tonearm plus record weight and perimeter ring, you can hit $10K. So it spans your entire budget range depending on how you trick it out.
When the first version came out (around 2007) it was a Stereophile Class A turntable. That's quite an accomplishment considering what Class A turntables typically run. Reviews extol this turntable's low noise floor, linearity, exceptional speed consistency, and leading edge transients, not usually the strongest points for many belt drive turntables.
I'm not saying to buy it, but it it were me, I wouldn't commit the cash until I checked one out. Looks really promising.
But based on what I've read, I'd give a serious look at the Merrill-Williams R.E.A.L. 101.2 turntable. It starts at $6400 w/o tonearm, but when you add an armboard and tonearm plus record weight and perimeter ring, you can hit $10K. So it spans your entire budget range depending on how you trick it out.
When the first version came out (around 2007) it was a Stereophile Class A turntable. That's quite an accomplishment considering what Class A turntables typically run. Reviews extol this turntable's low noise floor, linearity, exceptional speed consistency, and leading edge transients, not usually the strongest points for many belt drive turntables.
I'm not saying to buy it, but it it were me, I wouldn't commit the cash until I checked one out. Looks really promising.