I’ve had Pro-Ject/Music Hall (Pro-Ject made Music Hall tables for Roy Hall and now Pro-Ject owns Music Hall) for years...I’ve had pleasing results with them. The Music Hall MMF2.1 should be avoided (some cartridges pick up motor noise) but farther up the line the value is quite good.
At your price point, I think a (used) Pro-Ject RPM 5 carbon in red would be amazing...I say used because new they are ~$1500 but perhaps you can find one on AudioGon or locally.
For new at your price point, the Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon is a nice choice: https://www.abt.com/product/95962/Pro-Ject-RPM-3-Carbon-Red-Turntable-RPM3CARBONRED.html?utm_source=...
If you can find one new...a killer table at your price point is a Pro-Ject RM5.1SE setup (It came in a gray color)...it came with a Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge...I have seen them go new as low as $699 which is a killer deal on that table: http://www.pro-jectusa.com/en-us/products/pro-ject-analog/legacy-products/rm-5-1-se
One last comment: Don't underestimate how much better a moving-coil cartridge will sound on any turntable vs. a moving magnet. I'd rather have a nice cart on an OK table than a lousy cart on a great table. A good value is an Ortofon MC Quintet Blue when you get ready for an upgrade. I also have a Benz Micro Gold high output MC and a Goldring Eroica Low output MC and they smoke all the MM cartridges I've heard. The downfall to Low Output MC carts is that you need a phono stage that can handle them or a step-up transformer. I once had my Benz Micro Gold on a Music Hall MMF2.1 into a Hagerman Bugle phone stage and it sounded quite amazing for the amount of money I had invested in it.
At your price point, I think a (used) Pro-Ject RPM 5 carbon in red would be amazing...I say used because new they are ~$1500 but perhaps you can find one on AudioGon or locally.
For new at your price point, the Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon is a nice choice: https://www.abt.com/product/95962/Pro-Ject-RPM-3-Carbon-Red-Turntable-RPM3CARBONRED.html?utm_source=...
If you can find one new...a killer table at your price point is a Pro-Ject RM5.1SE setup (It came in a gray color)...it came with a Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge...I have seen them go new as low as $699 which is a killer deal on that table: http://www.pro-jectusa.com/en-us/products/pro-ject-analog/legacy-products/rm-5-1-se
One last comment: Don't underestimate how much better a moving-coil cartridge will sound on any turntable vs. a moving magnet. I'd rather have a nice cart on an OK table than a lousy cart on a great table. A good value is an Ortofon MC Quintet Blue when you get ready for an upgrade. I also have a Benz Micro Gold high output MC and a Goldring Eroica Low output MC and they smoke all the MM cartridges I've heard. The downfall to Low Output MC carts is that you need a phono stage that can handle them or a step-up transformer. I once had my Benz Micro Gold on a Music Hall MMF2.1 into a Hagerman Bugle phone stage and it sounded quite amazing for the amount of money I had invested in it.