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Need help: turntable market in the $1500-$2000 range is overwhelming

I’m looking for a new turntable. Had a Dual 1229 years ago but it broke and I got out of vinyl and all that. Got a crappy Audio-Technica around the holidays last year because I thought I’d digitize my records but I don’t feel like doing that anymore and it’s a fiddly turntable that doesn’t sound great. I’m giving myself $1500-$2000 to jump in with the expectation of buying something that’ll keep me happy for a few years.

Sorry, but no Technics tables please!!!! Black or silver. They all look like my crappy Audio-Technica and I’m going to be shallow and say looks matter and that I’m agnostic at best about direct drive. Yeah, I’m dumb.

So in the price range I’ve established I’ve looked at and found interesting offerings from:

—SOTA
—Rega
—Pro-Ject
—Music Hall
—Clearaudio
—Marantz

And what feels like a zillion others.

So how the hell do I choose in a market flooded with tables in my price range? 

Oh, and sure, tell me how stupid I am for not wanting a Technics like I keep seeing recommended on the forum, but I’m not going to buy one so please help me with another offering if you can!!!

And I’d prefer to buy new so I can work with a dealer or manufacturer if there are any issues.....
larshepping
wturkey's avatar
wturkey
768 posts
 
Sota tables appear quite nice and are well regarded. 
VPI also has an offering in that price range. 
If you’d like to save a grand, the U-Turn Orbit is very nice. 
big_greg
6,623 posts
 
I'd second the MOFI suggestion. Or invite you to my house to listen to my old Technics SL-1200 MK2 that I picked up for about 500 bucks and show you some affordable tweaks. 
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,595 posts
 
SOTA. 

Will make you like vinyl again.
builder3
758 posts
 
Another vote for MoFi.
deadhead1000's avatar
deadhead1000
714 posts
 
I went with the Rega RP6 and their MC (a little above $2K) you can go with their MM or the RP3 to save a little coin. I chose them for several reasons, I didn't need to do any setup, it had to look good (not like a Rube Goldberg setup), their tables get really good reviews, and it had to have a attached dust cover. Oh and yeah, sound good enough to keep me happy for a long time. I liked the Clear Audio or Music Hall, but they all missed something I wanted. Pick what features you want, your list is a good one, any would do you fine. 
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