@frozentundra , I can only tell you what I would buy for that money and I will try to give you reasons why
I would get a Sota Sapphire with the standard drive. If you really want to spend more on the eclipse package, it is your money but you will be hard pressed to notice a difference. Get it with Sota's refex clamp and dust cover. The Sota Sapphire is a classic turntable. It was the very first suspended turntable to "hang" from it's suspension rather than sit on it like the Thorens and Linn turntables, a much more stable design. It was the first turntable that was totally immune to foot fall and just about everything else. It's dust cover is isolated from the sub chassis to which are mounted the platter and tonearm. You can and should use it during play. It further isolates playback from the environment. The Sota's suspension system was so good it was copied by both Basis and SME.
It is much less sensitive to whatever you place it on. You can strike it vertically with a hammer with the volume all the way up and you will not hear a thing. There is no alternative in this price range. The next step up would be the Sota Cosmos Vacuum followed by the Dohmann Helix.
I would put a Schroder CB tonearm on it. The Schroder is a brilliant design. It has great bearings in the right locations limiting warp wow, magnetic antiskating (no friction) and no unnecessary contacts between the cartridge and phono stage. It is a neutral balance arm, VTF does not change with elevation. It is, in spite of it's sophistication very simple looking. I love that. Alternatives would be the Reed 2G and the Kuzma 4 Point 9
Next would be the cartridge. I would get a Soundsmith "The Voice" It is a moderate output moving iron design with a top notch fine line stylus and ruby cantilever. It is a far better value than any moving coil cartridge in some ways there is no moving coil cartridge that can outperform it. It will be more dynamic and have a much better signal to noise ratio. I doubt there is a moving coil cartridge that can out track it. The Soundsmith is made in the States and service is reported to be excellent. Re tipping is relatively inexpensive. Alternatives would be the Clearaudio Charisma, a great rock and roll cartridge for sure and a grand less expensive than the Soundsmith. The least expensive moving coil cartridge I really like is the Ortofon Windfeld Ti. It is 1 grand more expensive than the Soundsmith and to get the best out of it one should have a current mode phono stage like the Channel D Lino C
In disclosure I have both a Schroder CB and Soundsmith Voice sitting in boxes waiting for their turntable, a Sota Cosmos Vacuum.
I would get a Sota Sapphire with the standard drive. If you really want to spend more on the eclipse package, it is your money but you will be hard pressed to notice a difference. Get it with Sota's refex clamp and dust cover. The Sota Sapphire is a classic turntable. It was the very first suspended turntable to "hang" from it's suspension rather than sit on it like the Thorens and Linn turntables, a much more stable design. It was the first turntable that was totally immune to foot fall and just about everything else. It's dust cover is isolated from the sub chassis to which are mounted the platter and tonearm. You can and should use it during play. It further isolates playback from the environment. The Sota's suspension system was so good it was copied by both Basis and SME.
It is much less sensitive to whatever you place it on. You can strike it vertically with a hammer with the volume all the way up and you will not hear a thing. There is no alternative in this price range. The next step up would be the Sota Cosmos Vacuum followed by the Dohmann Helix.
I would put a Schroder CB tonearm on it. The Schroder is a brilliant design. It has great bearings in the right locations limiting warp wow, magnetic antiskating (no friction) and no unnecessary contacts between the cartridge and phono stage. It is a neutral balance arm, VTF does not change with elevation. It is, in spite of it's sophistication very simple looking. I love that. Alternatives would be the Reed 2G and the Kuzma 4 Point 9
Next would be the cartridge. I would get a Soundsmith "The Voice" It is a moderate output moving iron design with a top notch fine line stylus and ruby cantilever. It is a far better value than any moving coil cartridge in some ways there is no moving coil cartridge that can outperform it. It will be more dynamic and have a much better signal to noise ratio. I doubt there is a moving coil cartridge that can out track it. The Soundsmith is made in the States and service is reported to be excellent. Re tipping is relatively inexpensive. Alternatives would be the Clearaudio Charisma, a great rock and roll cartridge for sure and a grand less expensive than the Soundsmith. The least expensive moving coil cartridge I really like is the Ortofon Windfeld Ti. It is 1 grand more expensive than the Soundsmith and to get the best out of it one should have a current mode phono stage like the Channel D Lino C
In disclosure I have both a Schroder CB and Soundsmith Voice sitting in boxes waiting for their turntable, a Sota Cosmos Vacuum.