The Janome 7700 is amazing. I really enjoyed testing it. In the end, I went for a Bernina 430, which free motions like a dream. You said Bernina is out of your budget, but it was $1000 less than the Janome (which doesn't do embroidery, I got that thrown into the deal with the Bernina as an incentive).
I also highly recommend looking at the brother NX 2000- I think it was less than the Janome, but had the harp space. It also seemed to come with A LOT more accessories. Plus it does directional stitching, which I think is really cool. I regret not looking at it more (I was entranced by the Janome's beautiful color.)