3k budget for Turntable and Phono Noob- do I need external power supplies?

thank you

dealer offered me a good price on a project x2b with mc cart, alongside the entry level project balanced phono

have been considering it, he also offers good prices on all rega prodcuts

All modern phono cartridges can run in balanced mode. The TT has nothing to do with it. Any tonearm with 4 leads out can be wired to an XLR. 

NO I wouldn’t waste my money on S-Boosters, or similar premium PSUs. I actually have two: a 24V DC unit for very high end Clearaudio Master Innovation (which shockingly ships with a very cheap wall wart SMPS) and a 24V AC unit for a Benz PP-1 phono stage. Don’t ask why I did this experiment twice. No change to sound quality, in either case. There are a plethora of other things you can do to actually affect the sound of vinyl playback - have fun!

@audiocanada

l bet you are feeling a bit bamboozled with all the advice by now.

My advice would be something l don’t believe has been mentioned.

Go to some high street dealers and see what trade ins are up for grabs. You will get some quality choices and probably a few demonstrations as the dealer will want a sale. You could even widen your choice which is another learning curve. Remember too, second hand gear is a buyers market which gives you a strong bargaining position. Remember also that when buying new, dealers more often than not have to adhere to manufacturers stipulated retail prices.

I would recommend you find out what you want, and buy well looked after second hand gear. Look at hi-fi dealers and the open used market. You could more than double your buying power!
You could get your system for half the price or extending your choice to more expensive kit avoiding a future upgrade completely.

One thing for sure is. If sold on later you will never loose as much as you would have if originally purchased at full retail.

the Rega P3 SE has the new Nd5 cartridge. Very smooth. But Pro-ject is solid too, enoy!