Also, any thoughts on the VPI 19 MK2 that Mred mentions?
What kind of arm and/or cartridge come with it?
I currently have that table up and running with a Audioquest PT-9 arm and Goldring 1042 cartridge. (about $1k for the arm/cart combp) and I am having a good time with it. I did have a problem with the belt slipping and stylus drag making a mess of things when I first got the table. A new belt and some fooling around with the height of the plinth to base has things pretty well under control. These tables come in 2 parts, the base which houses the motor and the plinth which holds the platter, a plastic/rubber belt goes from the top of the motor around the platter. There is no adjusting the speed of this set-up so your motor better be right on or everything else is for not, this presents the biggest challenge for this table imo. If I decide to keep this I am going to have to invest about $1k in a VPI SDS speed control which dial these motors in perfectly. I sold a tricked out KAB Technics table about 4 months ago to try this belt drive out. I really loved the Technics but thought that I would try something different. What I have found is that the VPI sounds great when everything is working perfectly and the speed is correct but on a complicated piece of music, where the grooves of the record are creating more drag on the stylus, I hear the change in pitch, and it drives me crazy, that;s all I hear instead of the music. I never had that problem with the Technics. Would I trade my VPI for a Technics, I am not sure at this point. The VPI can be great on some albums, some I can't even listen to. The Technics is very good with all of my albums. I am glad that I had the Technics first as it is a much easier table to use, more straight forward, less fiddling around out of the box.
If you decide on the Technics stay away from used tables from ebay, dj tables get beat to shit with ashes, coke (both kinds) and a general rough life for a sensitive piece of equipment. Start with new or from someone established here on Agon
Good luck and have some fun with it but remember it's all about listening to music.