Best turntable under $4000


I am looking to take the next step in my analog journey. I currently am using a Fluance RT85 with ortofon 2m blue. I have a Rogue Audio cronus magnum iii. I am running them with Kef 104/2 's. Fluance seems to get alot of hate on here. I was considering a cartridge upgrade but I am hesitant to upgrade more then the cost of the table. I don't hear much background noise and like the sound. I guess I am wondering if I don't know I hear noise because I have not heard a turntable that eliminates that noise? When I went from my Onkyo to my Rogue Sphinx iii I realized I had been missing a whole lot of sound. Then I ditched my rebuilt EPI M150's and heard hidden instruments in tracks I have listened to for years. I am looking for that in a turntable upgrade.  Apperance is important. I have interest in the following:

Clear Audio Concept Wood w/ maestro v2

Mofi fender precisiondeck w/ mastertracker

Stretching my budget is:

Dr. Feikert Volare no cartridge

Gold Note Pianosa no cartridge

These take me out of my budget once I get a cartridge

Any other reccomendations 

I will miss the autostart function for those buzzed listening nights. I would like the 4k to include a cartridge. Any opinions are welcome. Anyone think I should say screw the "rules" and get an Ortofon black?

 

Thank you in advance

cpdkee

Laoman, excuse me. You insult those who like “Technics” TTs, of one kind or another, first by referring to them as “fanbois “, second by referring to the brand as a “DJ” brand, third by stating the Technics advocates have “tin ears”, and finally by inferring that mounting a Kiseki or Phasemation cartridge on a Technics tonearm would be so gross a mismatch as to be improbable. You wrote all these things without ever specifying which Technics turntable adherents you intend to insult; or are you lumping all of their efforts, from the SL1200 to the SP10R in the same category? So it is no wonder that some take offense.

I lost track of turntables long ago, but do remember that the Technics Direct Drive tables were considered wonderful back in the day (SP-10?) Sorry, I forgot the details.

There is one for sale for $595 on one of the audio selling sites...sorry, can’t remember which one, but if I were looking, I would buy it. It needs an arm and cartridge, so you still get to choose them.

The funniest TT information I see today is Thornes tables for thousands of dollars. We sold them for $260.00, I believe, and they were BOUNCY and had some feedback issues back then. If customers are spending thousands for them today, I would guess they improved them greatly. Back then, even though they were highly rated--Linn-Sondek was considered better in those days--we never thought much of them.

(Also love that Shure is selling their tonearm for thousands these days. Back then, because they had a removable head shell, they were considered too heavy and clunky at $150.00) Straight-arms were thought to be the holy grail, but evidently no one has figured out how to do them in a way to vault them to the top of the list (yet).

Cheers!

A vote for Gold Note, love my Mediterraneo, built and weighs as much as a tank. 

Yamaha, Gigantic and Tremendous, listed today also. Anyone know about them?