New TT for ~$1500


My birthday is coming up and I will be asking for a *new* TT. Budget is up to $1500, but preferably closer to $1k. I would be comfortable pitching in another few hundred $$$ for a good cartridge if I get a table without one. Was thinking:
Rega P3, maybe P6 if I really stretch the budget (that'd be over my $1500 mark)

MoFi StudioDeck
Clearaudio Concept (I have a lead on a lightly used one with low hours, bundled with an Artist V2 cart, but might make gift giving awk)

Pro-Ject X2 w/ Sumiko Moonstone

Any thoughts?

tas236

Showing 1 response by sandthemall

I initially didn’t want a Technics either. I had already owned a 1200MK2 for many years and with a budget of 3k was looking at upper end Projects, Sotas and Music Halls...something new and different. I’m an industrial designer and I liked the aesthetics of these brands much better. I also looked at the Kuzma Stabi.

Take a close look at the Project and Music Hall turntables. Oftentimes they share the same tonearms. A lot of companies will share parts when they don’t have the expertise to pull the whole thing off or can’t spend the necessary money on R&D.

In the end I decided to spend a little extra and get the 1200G. It’s an amazing TT. About the aesthetics: It’s just too familiar. But when you pick up the tone arm or need to make adjustments, you really do appreciate the expertise that this company has when compared to almost every other TT manufacturer. The gimbal, by itself, is extremely precise.

I know you don’t like the look of a Technics. But put any of those TTs right in front of you so you can see them up close and feel how they work and you will see that the Technics is a better product...and that’s what won me back.

At your price point, it is on another level. I vote for the GR, or MK7.I would vote for a NOS MK2 over a lot of the other brands.