Andrew,

I have the Concept and I would go for that. I would also get it w/o the cart. The tonearm is very good and it has a magnetic bearing. I have had 4 or 5 TT's in the past so I am not a novice. In Fremer's June 2011 issue he reviewed it and gave it a good one. I don't know what kind of music you like but since I like a strong midrange, I put a Benz cart on it. Also the liberal trade up policy that Benz has is incredible. Why wait for a re-tipping on the stylus when you get a better one with a fair trade?

Don't worry about a cover. Go to a fabric store and get about 2 square feet of a smooth muslin type fabric in your desired color. Fold it in half or quarters and it will cover your TT nicely. The Concept has a very good plinth and I already mentioned the tonearm.

I have the original Planar 3 and also a Concept, and I would recommend the Concept as a superior deck. The arm on the Concept is fantastic, and the table has a detailed and punchy sound; it works great with wood bodied cartridges like Grado, Clearaudio and Benz for example. 

The Concept performs much more in the P5 price class and I would say is a better table even than the P5.

IMHO, nothing can touch the Concept at $1500 or under. 

My cap was hard at $1000 so I bought a P3-24 with an Elys 2 cartridge, but wished I had the budget for the Concept.  I thought it was the superior table but could not talk my wife into letting me spend the extra cash as I am way over budget on my system.