old AR XA with mods vs Rega RP1

Spend the money you saved on the table, and upgrade your arm to the British made Audiomods pick-up arm. It's a drop-in replacement for Rega arms (it uses the new Rega 303 arm tube). The Audiomods website has all the details, with both pro print mag reviews and customer testimonials.

Much better to upgrade to a good arm like a Jelco SA-750D, depending on the cartridge. 750D >>> better than the audimod/rega.

Keep the AR and do as Bpoletti suggested go with the better Jelco arm. The Rega is no match for the AR, the deck was designed and modded by of the audio greats George Merrill/Underground Sound and enjoy spinning vinyl....

I used to have an original AR table I had modified to accept another make arm. The same as a Linn Sondek, just not as well made ;-)! I put a Formula 4 uni-pivot on it, which I wouldn't do now---the AR's suspension was very "loose", which made the uni-pivot too unstable IMO.

By the way, the Audiomods arm is NOT a modified Rega, though Jeff does use the new Rega 303 arm tube (the only Rega part, other than the cueing lever), which he very heavily modifies. There are Audiomods owners who also have SME's, Helius Omega's, etc., and find it competitive with them. I would much rather have one than a mass-produced arm with an S-shaped tube and removable headshell, but that's just me. The Audiomods Classic Arm is only 455 British Pounds ($708 at the moment), and is completely hand machined from blocks of billet aluminum by a master machinist, one-by-one, to your specifications, the mass of the arm adjustable to meet the effective mass needs of your cartridge. An outrageous bargain!

By the way, the Audiomods arm is NOT a modified Rega.

Yes it is, It is based off of and uses Rega parts. That does not take anything away from its performance or value, but rather it is just a fact.