5 tables one choice, opinions please

For classical I think timing should be extremely important.So which of these tables has the best speed control?

Good point Steani, add that to my list of questions.

Nottingham untill I found out it has a very low torque motor and my dad is old school and likes to clean his records on the platter which most likely won't work without him spinning the platter.

No, the Nottingham won't work - if you apply too much pressure to the platter, it will stop. Actually the turntable is designed that way - you stop it by simply stopping the platter from rotating.

I have heard several negatives about VPI being bright

Having heard three of the above table, the VPI is the "brightest" table. It still has a nice balance top to bottom, even compared to the Rega which slightly emphasizes the mids and the fairly warm sounding Nottingham. Mating it wit the right cartridge would be essential.

Including the SDS in the VPI does stabilize the speed and makes sure the speed is accuratly 33.3rpm. I would not run any table anymore without the possibility of finetuning the speed.

One thing to keep in mind: The VPI is a unipivot which might ot be ideal for your dad as hands tend to get shaky with age.

Good luck,

Rene

One more suggestion; Why not get an older style Thorens 125, 126, 150 or 160? I am sure your dad might appreciate the semi-automatic Thorens tables.

In fact, I just picked up a Thorens TD166MKII for a great price and will let it run against the Scout soon.

Rene

Nottingham - just more "musical" and alive than the VPI.