Lots of good suggestions so far, so I thought I would chime in.
Last year I bought a used Clearaudio Emotion as a second deck. I bought it on Agon for $1300. I decided to hook it up to my main system for a comparison to my Clearaudio Performance SEP. I was amazed at how little difference there was. I also learned that the Marantz TT-15 is made by Clearaudio and is essentially the same TT as the Emotion. You can buy this brand new with a Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge for $1500.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Marantz-TT-15S1-Turntable-w-Virtuoso-MM-Cartridge?sc=7&category=4788...
I also owned a Clearaudio Concept and was not impressed. It was just OK. If considering the Clearaudio brand I would recommend a Performance or higher.
Prior to this I owned a Well Tempered Classic for a few years. This is an excellent TT and can be bought used for less than $1500. Highly rated and I thought it sounded great. The only down side is it's a vintage deck and finding replacement parts can be challenging.
It might be best to buy from a seller who accepts returns. I believe Needle Doctor and Music Direct allow returns.
Good luck!
Last year I bought a used Clearaudio Emotion as a second deck. I bought it on Agon for $1300. I decided to hook it up to my main system for a comparison to my Clearaudio Performance SEP. I was amazed at how little difference there was. I also learned that the Marantz TT-15 is made by Clearaudio and is essentially the same TT as the Emotion. You can buy this brand new with a Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge for $1500.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Marantz-TT-15S1-Turntable-w-Virtuoso-MM-Cartridge?sc=7&category=4788...
I also owned a Clearaudio Concept and was not impressed. It was just OK. If considering the Clearaudio brand I would recommend a Performance or higher.
Prior to this I owned a Well Tempered Classic for a few years. This is an excellent TT and can be bought used for less than $1500. Highly rated and I thought it sounded great. The only down side is it's a vintage deck and finding replacement parts can be challenging.
It might be best to buy from a seller who accepts returns. I believe Needle Doctor and Music Direct allow returns.
Good luck!