5 tables one choice, opinions please

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.

I'll suggest one more option:

The Acoustic Solid Wood (60mm platter) w/ microprocessor speed control, stock OEM RB300 and Ortofon Vigor HOMC cart @ $2K. IMHO this thing represents really unusual value and is worth checking out.

BTW I spent the best part of the past year looking for app. $2K analog set-ups. I looked at most of the units you listed. Head to head comparison is very difficult when shopping - too many variables. FWIW, I didn't get a meaningful chance to hear the Nottingham, but preferred the VPI to the Rega, Music Hall, and Project in a series of "listen-offs".

I also listened to the A-Signature line Raul recommends. Very nice stuff, but more in the nearly $4K range w/arm and cart. In this range, I liked the A-Sig products better than the similar designs from Acoustic Solid. But in comparing the MDF plinthed, less costly units, the A-Sigs didn't fare as well vs the A-Solid equivalents (IMHO). Specifically, there is no A-Sig version of the more massive A-Solid Wood.

As I was adding analog to my den and living room systems, I bought two units; the A-Solid Wood and the discontinued Transrotor Sirius, w/modded OEM RB250 and Clearaudio Aurum Beta S. Both are fine tables, but the A-Solid sounds just a bit better (with either cartridge -in my system) and looks like a million bucks. I ponied up an extra $200 for the automotive black finish which was certainly worth it in my living room, but maybe not yours.

Good Luck,

Marty

How does Acoustic Signature compares to Nottingham ?
What are attributes of Acoustic Signature sound ?