$500 tables: Project or Musichall

Pro-Ject builds the Music Hall turntables in the same factory. All of the Music Hall turntables have Project tonearms. Toward the top of the line, MMF-7 and MMF-9, the Music Hall design is better damped and passes less noise than the Pro-Ject's.

Neither, the Goldring, available from Music Direct, is a rebadged Rega Planar 2, with the excellent RB250 arm and Goldring cartridge, you will have some money left over in your budget for a better cartridge or some LPs.