I'm not sure you can get the magic of vinyl cheaply, although admittedly i haven't heard the latest crop of 'entry' level tables. And when you add cartridge and phono stage, it's gonna add up.
I haven't heard a Grado MM in years, but those used to sound very musical back in the day. Used VPI might be the way to go.
I had a Well-Tempered back in the 80's and thought it was fabulous for the money. Don't know what the new ones perform like.
And used EAR tube phono stage could work, I gather they can be modified and tube-rolled. But that may be more of a commitment, in terms of effort, than the person wants to get into.
Mosin, you implied bigger company infringing. Is this a known fact in the industry?
I gather you are being cryptic because you don't want to make a public accusation. just curious.