Turntable Recommendation for Beginner

Budget? The Well Tempered served me well for years. They have a current model that, if memory serves, is relatively inexpensive. There is a VPI Classic that is supposed to be great. It's not crazy money either, and I believe is sold with a good arm. I very much liked the Kuzma Reference before I bought their big table- the Reference is the one that has a built in adjustable isolation system and is easy to set up and sounds great with a high quality arm. I always loved the look of the Oracle- the old ones required tweaking to get right, not sure if that's the case with the current table. TW Raven, but I think you might need to get up in price before you get to the ones that people jump up and down about. Beyond that, you are getting into more serious money: SME is one that is bullet proof. Also, getting into more money, Brinkman(n), who make an optional tube power supply for the table. There are others, including some direct drive tables, vintage tables that have been restored, and some that are pretty stratospheric in price. I never heard a Platine Verdier, but that was also regarded as a good table. There are so many tables out there today, I think in part because the overhead for manufacture is not as great as say, a digital component that is actually designed and built from parts as opposed to being rebadged. The hard part is deciding on the 'sound' of the table which is going to be pretty impossible to discern, in a dealership context. Leave room for a good arm and cartridge in your budget, but the table makes a huge difference. Even though I thought the Kuzma Reference was a fabulous table, particularly at its price point (it's been around for a while), when I upgraded to the big Kuzma the difference, in part was the absence of things- less of the sound of something at the front end delivering the signal, as well as depth and bass tonality that I didn't know I was missing until that table was set up in my system.
Also keep in mind that you have to address isolation issues, so that should be part of the equation when you are considering tables. Wall shelf mountable? Not the big Kuzma, unless you have I-beams in your walls. Floor stand? The good ones can add up and have to be part of your budget too. You could probably get away cheaply on that aspect, if it is well thought out, but you are going to have to focus on that as part of the equation too.

I'd like to hear a Denon dl103R cart on one of the new VPI Traveler tables.

I use dl103R in Linn Axis with Basik tonearm with ARC sp16 and could not be happier. A good step up transformer is needed in that particular configuration though.

Hey, Map. I didn't get into phono preamps in my earlier posting. Vdosc, are we to assume that you have a good line stage and just need a phono stage? Sorry, i didn't look at your system before asking. I had a very well regarded, pretty expensive phono stage for several years, did the whole tube rolling thing with top grade (read expensive) NOS tubes, etc. and despite the fact that this was a serious, highly regarded stage, my system (given its particular idiosyncrasies) now sounds dramatically better with a different stage. So, it ain't just what's good or expensive - it's gotta work in your system. Isn't the ARC Ref stage about 6 grand used? Given that you use other ARC components, that may be the ticket.

My primary recommendation is find a dealer who can assist you.
Tts are something whichneed a little local TLC.. so finding a local dealer whp can help you out is more important than the brand of TT.
You need a dealer familiar with TTs and what goes well with which.
Problem is most dealers have lost all those skill sets..
If no local dealer, than one of the big internet sellers with a great reputation on TT setup.

The OP is asking for a turntable recommendation for a "beginner" and people come back "I know ziltch about TT" and a list of mega bucks tables. Don't forget to get the Talos tonearm and the Atlas cart to go along with that beginner table. Come on people.

Seriously, I second Elizabeth advice since you might need help with the set-up and adjustments and it's much easier if you buy locally. It would also be helpful to know your budget.