Cal,
I did a similar tour listening to top tables a couple years ago and auditioned several great tables in the 20,000 to 30,000 range and liked them all a lot but was blown away at how good a vintage Technics mkll sounded in a custom plinth at a fraction of the cost. I agree with Mosin. Try a vintage mkll, Lenco, Garrard....You can put them in whatever plinth you want(1-4 arms) and I bet you'll find nothing at any price that beats them. It's often a bit of a project but if you're not in a hurry it's about the best way to go IMO.
I did a similar tour listening to top tables a couple years ago and auditioned several great tables in the 20,000 to 30,000 range and liked them all a lot but was blown away at how good a vintage Technics mkll sounded in a custom plinth at a fraction of the cost. I agree with Mosin. Try a vintage mkll, Lenco, Garrard....You can put them in whatever plinth you want(1-4 arms) and I bet you'll find nothing at any price that beats them. It's often a bit of a project but if you're not in a hurry it's about the best way to go IMO.