Hey, I’ll put in a last-minute plug for the Pro-Ject Debut Pro, right around $1K. When I was looking a few years ago, it topped the “bang for the buck” test, especially in that it has a phenomenal tone arm with VTA adjustment, simple to use, with an incredibly robust and steady motor. Its only downside is the damn anti-skate setup - it uses a tiny counterweight with an even tinier loop on the end of a piece of fishing line you have to loop over a little notched rod on the arm assembly. But once I figure out the best way to do it, it became relatively easy.