Turntable in $1,500 price range: 3 Candidates

[admin_exported]

I want to buy a brand new turntable in $1,500 price range, including cartridge. And less than $300 for phono. (The prices ratio is quite sceptical but you may correct this). Here is my choices (considering price and availability here)

1.Rega RP3 with Elys2, may be coupled with TTPSU - $900 + Unknown TTPSU price
2.Rega RP6 with Elys2 (the only reason I prefer 6 rather than 3 now is that 6 looks very sexy!) - $1,600 (this choice forces me to lessen the phono priority)
3.Clearaudio Concept MM package - $1,450 (most appropriate in the range, higher performance but also encircled by rumors of building quality and after service care)

Any idea?
Thank you

 

[Anonymous]

4.Pro-ject 2 Xperience Classic - $1,600 (this price doesn't include cartridge, so quite impossible..) My main genre is classical, mainly focusing on concertos, sonatas and quartets.

 

[El Hefe]

Go for Clearaudio Concept...build quality is of high standard for that price.

 

[Al ears]

+1 for the Clearaudio Concept. Build quality is good enough as far as I've seen and not too sure about the relevence of after care service as, in my opinion, there is not a lot to go wrong with turntables. You may have to change a drive belt now and again but that's easily done, no need to return to the dealer for that.
Spend the difference (compared to cost of RP6) on some decent vinyl!

 

[jerry klinger]

First of all we don;t know which $$$ you're using - US, Canadian, Australian?

Anyway, I'm the dissenting voice. Depending on your amp, I would spend more on the phono stage. So if your amp hasn't got one, you could get a great £500 phono stage such as a Dynavector P75 and a Rega RP3/TTPSU with DV10x5 for about £900. This is how I would spend the money, having heard Neat Acoustics use a similar set up into Naim electronics at a recent show.

Depending on the exchange rate of whichever currency you're paid in!

 

[Anonymous]

First of all we don;t know which $$$ you're using - US, Canadian, Australian?

Anyway, I'm the dissenting voice. Depending on your amp, I would spend more on the phono stage. So if your amp hasn't got one, you could get a great £500 phono stage such as a Dynavector P75 and a Rega RP3/TTPSU with DV10x5 for about £900. This is how I would spend the money, having heard Neat Acoustics use a similar set up into Naim electronics at a recent show.

Depending on the exchange rate of whichever currency you're paid in!

Very interesting. Since I'm using headphone amplifier, there is no phono input in the amp.

The unit is in US$.