Rega P25 vs VPI Scout

My listening genre and desire to extract the most "slam" from recordings mirrors your goals.

I listened to the Scout and P3 side by side with the Dynavector 10x5 and it was a no brainer for me: the Rega is the clear winner in slam, punch, and "toe-tap" factor.

The scout has a smoother, more refined sound to my ears which is why I think many audiophiles prefer it. If I were a classical listener I'd lean towards the Scout perhaps, and the Scout is clearly on another level with regards to aesthetics - it's a beautiful table.

For rock and jazz, I just simply preferred the faster sound of the Rega (no heckles from the peanut gallery please - my P3 runs dead-on 33.33rpm...); the fact that the P3/10x5 combo ran me under a grand new compared to close to $2k for the Scout/10x5 combo was a serious factor too.

As for VTA - it's simple enough to adjust with the cheap Rega spacers.

"no VTA adjustment and the VPI with no anti-skate."

Simply incorrect. The VPI has always had anti-skate, just not a standard implementation and now regular anti-skate is available for those who didn't like Harry's original concept.

I had a P25 that I liked quite well, but found a good used VPI HW19 MKIII with a modified RB300 Tonearm and couldn't resist. The HW19 series, especially a MK IV, is a huge bargain for the price and a great alternative to both the Rega and the Scout. Of course, the HW19 series is discontinued but still I'd recommend adding it to your list.

I know, once you open the door to "other" TTs there are dozens that you could choose from. But the HW19 MK III and IV are in the same vein as the two you are looking for info on but great TTs at great prices.

Between the two you asked about, I'd go with the Scout.

Good Luck
Paul

I had both P3 and P25 Regas and I confirm that neither of them holds a candle to the Music Hall MMF7 table that comes complete with Goldring MC cartridge.

I had a Rega P25 with a Goldring Eroica H, and it was great on a budget phonostage. However, I noticed the Eroica has a bright and slightly brittle high-end on a Lehmann Black Cube. However, the cart is so easy to mount (make its front center flesh to the front of the headshell....the size matches exactly to the headshell body of the Rega. Also, the height of the Goldring is parallel naturally (sans VTA) to the surface.....super easy to get great sound). The sound was good, but you can do better!

When I was looking to upgrade to a Scout, Larry at Hollywood Sound gave me an awesome deal on a used HW-19 Mk. IV/Rega 250. Man, you talkin' excellent sound here! I've had it for just over a year and have NO PLANS TO CHANGE IT OUT!

I don't understand how some could disregard this table given it's used price these days. The Rega P25 is in NO LEAGUE with a HW-19 Mk IV.

Goto here and Ebay and get a MK IV for about $1000 fully stacked. Get a Denon 103R and transformer from Audiocubes for $400. If you already have a LO Moving Coil input, buy a slighly-used Dyanvector 17D and sing satisfied.

Thoughts?

Marty