Which turntable is better?

Here's another vote for the Rega P3 RS (Rega Special) which I bought for my son. It's easy to set up and sounds great. If you spend a little more for the Groovetracer subplatter, you'll still be under your budget and get very close to the performance of the P6. Of course, the P6 is also a great buy for just a few $$ more. I'm a big fan of Technics and prefer arms with interchangeable headshells, but the arms on the 1500 and GR2 are not as good as the Rega arms. You have to go to the 1200G to get an arm that performs as well as Rega. The Rega arms confine you somewhat on cartridge selection (or using shims) but the new Rega pickups are great!

@robertq I hope what I'm about to write does not dissuade you from getting into vinyl!  When done right, the sound fidelity is outstanding!  However, upon reading "considering my first turntable" and "budget is 2K to 2.5K" what immediately jumped to mind is whether you are planning for accessories.  Getting the most out of vinyl is more than just purchasing a TT and some records.  There are some basic accessories to consider that are part & parcel of the whole medium (e.g.  record brush; stylus cleaner; record cleaning system - even new records should be washed before play; anti-static record sleeves; etc.).  None of these accessories have to cost an arm & a leg, unless you want to invest in an ultrasonic record cleaning system, but they will enhance your sound fidelity results.

That being said, I can vouch for the MoFi Ultradeck with Mastertracker cart.  I've had the MoFi for around 6 or 7 years, or so, and love it!  I demoed a Rega P3 with Ortofon 2M Blue and a Marantz TT-15S1 with ClearAudio Virtuoso MM that were both mighty impressive, as well.  However, after months of research, I ultimately dwindled my choices down to the MoFi and a Rega P6 with either an Ortofon 2M Black or Bronze.  Let conscious be you're guide!

@robertq 

Save up a little more and negotiate with this guy and I bet you could get this for around $3k.  I know there are a lot of great tables and lots of people hate on Rega but they have served me very well for 20 years.  I have only had used and went 80's Planar 2, RP3, RP6, RP8, RP10, Planar 10.  I have always used other cartridges as the Rega were always too bright for me.  I have been listening to a Kiseki Purpleheart for a couple years and love it.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650258815-rega-planar-8-w-ania-pro/ 

The turntable that is most expensive is the best at least that what the manufacture thinks. Happy spinning

VPI