which turntable to buy for $1500 best value ?

Manitunc, FWIW, I owned a Sota Star Sapphire Series III with vacuum, which according to your history should have been free of the problem of pitch instability. It was not. I read elsewhere that the problem has indeed been eliminated in the Cosmos and Millennium tt's, but they of course are way beyond the upper price limit of the OP. I obviously do not know as much about the Sota products as do you. My experience is purely anecdotal.

lewm
My only knowledge of the Sotas is what I have owned and listened to. I have a Cosmos, and two Stars now, or did until I sold one today. None of them have a pitch problem that I have noticed. But, the Star IIIs were made for a long time, so not all may be the same. My serial numbers were in the 30000s.
The Cosmos has the motor mounted to the same board as the bearing and platter, so there is no change in space between the motor and platter when the suspension moves, which is a main cause of pitch problems in suspended tables.

I also may not be as tuned in to pitch changes as you.

When pitch wavers, trailing edges of piano notes seem to blur. That is quite noticeable, probably more noticeable to me than absolute pitch. The Notts Hyperspace which eventually supplanted the Sota Star Sapphire III in my system, definitely was free of that problem. But you make a good point; my SSSIII was early 90s vintage, and from what I gather the "Star" model is still made. The early and late versions might be the same in name only. Also, yes, the issue may stem from mounting the motor to the plinth where the platter and bearing ride in the spring suspension. Thus the belt has to stretch and relax in tune with the suspension, unless the environment is dead quiet and totally free of mechanical feedback.

wow, all this info has been very helpful, thanks to all. it seems like everyday i find my self looking at tt's i have not considered the day before. now, i am really considering the rega rp3 with elise for 650 and a hall mmf 7 for 550. they both seem like great deals, way cheaper then my spending limit which i would use the rest for a good cart or a DIY bootlehead seduction. both tt's i have a feeling will blow my p2 out of the water. and in a few years i will probably upgrade to one of the great tables that you guys have taught me about. if you had to choose one of the 2, which one would you go with? thanks again

The Clearaudio Concept is a great TT that should just fit your budget, especially if you can stretch a bit further for the version that includes an MC cartridge. I think that package is $2,000 new.