A few others to consider in the price range, which I would pick over the choices you provided:
Modwright PH 9.0 - This is a giant killer. Typically $3K used, but sometimes it pops up for less that $2500. I post about this unit on these forums, do a search.
Rogue Ares Magnum - Wonderful tube tone, about 80-85% the performance of the Modwright but can be had at around $1400-1600 used.
PS Audio Stellar Phono - Stereophile Class A rated. Nice tone, especially for solid state, but isn't endgame in my opinion. Can generally be had for $1600 used and I would pick it over the Gold Note or JC3 above.