Rega P2, Thorens TD-180 or Music Hall MMF-5.1?

I would agree with the above assessments. Bear in mind that the new P3,
refered to above, that can be upgraded with the external power supply is the
P3/24, an upgraded version of the P3 that came out about a year ago. The arm
on it is the RB301 and has, among other things, a different mount than the
RB300, or RB250 for that matter, similar to the RB700.

You might find a used P5 for close to the price of a new P3/24, or even a used
P3/24 that would fit into your stated budget.

dealer disclosure.

>>The RB30 arm is phenomenal<<

Well, if in fact you meant the RB300, you're quite incorrect.

The RB300 is a solid, serviceable, and reasonably high value tonearm but hardly phenomenal.

Come on, man...the guy is asking about a starter turntable. Is the RB300 or RB301 "phenomenal" compared to, say, an SME or Linn or Graham that costs more than six times his budget for arm AND table? Of course not. But name another arm at or near the RB300/301's price that performs as well. The Graham Robin comes close...at a few hundreds dollars more.

Get real. Let's not scare the guy away from analog by imposing our notions of good on him. Within his budget, he'll do just fine with any Rega arm-equipped table.

I agree Ekobesky. The 300,especially with the dropped counterweight, and rewired arm may be even better than the Robin.

I own a TD190 and just sold my MMF5 after buying a used
REGA P3/2000. The Rega is definitly the best sound with
the same cartridge used on all 3 units. I know that from
actual experience. I'm sure the P2 would provide a similar
sound, particularly with a platter upgrade. Nothing wrong
with a used unit in either the P2 or P3. If you want a TD
190, I'll sell you mine much cheaper than new. Good automatic TT if automatic is what you want.

Thanks for all the input!
I've decided to order a preowned Rega P3-24.
Mika