Need help picking budget Turntable

Listener57, I'm nervous, but I'm getting over it thanks to my mat-less Maplenoll! Thanks for the info, I'll check into the site. Oh, uhhh...and I vote for the P3....again. Of course, I hear those old RCA Victrolas were pretty good, and the needles are the cheapest.

OK johannantais, my opinion on the 250 was researched right here on this site. TWL has supported the two bearing hypothesis. Hypothesis because it has not been proven empirically yet. My test on my P3 was with a modded 250 with 2extreme endstub from Express Machining with their heavyweight. The 300 had the stock endstub but the heavyweight. I did not re-wire them for the listening sessions I did. They were both played on a P3 with the same music. I have since gone to the F2 titanium counterweight by Kerry. Interesting because the counterweight after set-up was much closer to the bearings than the heavyweight. Probably difference in mass? Anyway to my ears the 250 sounded better.

Colitis, thanks for the info. While I reserve the right to search your bags...uh, that is, withhold judgement, I do believe that with all these accolades for the Kerry mod I will buy one of these. As to the two-bearing hypothesis, there is some kind of miscommunication here. More elucidation is needed...anyway, thanks for the heads-up on the titanium weight: probably Twl can explain why it sits so close to the bearing relative to the heavyweight, something to do with the tear-drop shape?

johnnantais, I do not believe the tear-drop shape is the answer because they both have a hole that is off center. I think the difference is in the material used Heavyweight is stainless while the Kerry is titanium. Just a thought, having owned both. Too bad TWL hasn't chimed in to clear the haze on the mechanics of the REGA's. I also owned the Herbie's Turntable mat, while it made an improvement mine picked up every lint and fiber floating around on the air. Anyone else had this problem(static?)? Remember Johnnantais, this is a hobby for some not, a military tribunal with "empirical evidence" Lighten up HUH!?

Colitis, when you compare different tonearm counterweights on your tonearm in controlled conditions - making sure the wiring is the same, the 'table is the same and so on - you are conducting an empirical/scientific experiment. This is what the audio hobby is. When I ask for empirical evidence of the negative contributions of the spring in an RB300, I am asking for someone to take the trouble to find out if it is really resonating, instead of just assuming it is. There's no difference between this request and someone asking which is the best turntable: we are both looking for experience, and this too is what the audio hobby is. I didn't want to offend you, but this hobby is also about questioning, or things like the Kerry counterweight wouldn't exist (in this case hobbyists questioned Rega's design). By buying all these mods, you question Roy Gandy. And so I questioned your statement that the RB250 was categorically superior to the RB300. At the moment my system is in a transitional state, and so all my high-end 'tables sound bright right now, and my mid-fi one sounds just right. Does this mean that the mid-fi one is better? No, just that my preamp is bright, and favours the rolled-off high frequencies of the lesser 'table. And thanks for the heads-up on Herbie's mat, now this'll open up yet another can of worms...