ok i'll play...i have a scout, and over on the asylum is the latest thread re: why sds is so important to just about any vpi table. you can pick one up here for about $700, which im probably going to do as my next upgrade. speed accuracy and clean power is probably as important as clean records. as you have read the scout out of the box is an amazing table, one that keeps getting better through play. while i don't doubt the scoutmaster to also be terrific, i wonder how much more terrific it will be. nobody has reviewed it yet, so kind of hard to judge. so i'll go in the opposite direction. go for the scout/sds package now, and wait on the scoutmaster until at least you're able to get a bit more "objective" info on it.
good luck!
good luck!