Rega or VPI

I was never a strong believer in all of this. I never believed that cables could make such a huge difference either.
I went from a MMF7 to the Vpi HW19jr. I was told here, that was like going from a Toyota Camry to a Honda Accord. Well, that is about as far from the truth as you can imagine. The difference was not subtle at all. In fact it was huge.
Now I am being told that if I add a Express Machine heavyweight in place of my stock AQ PT6 counterweight, I will see huge gains by this upgrade. All I can say is I 50/50 believe it. And I will try it.
I have only been into the vinyl again for about a year now. I had been out of it since the 70's. So I don't have all of the answers, and I would never claim to. But I do know that there is a definate difference in the design of the 2 tables. I believe and have read that the suspended designs sound warmer. I like the warm sound and that is why I like the Vpi so much. The Regas are an excellent choice though. Most every body agrees that they are a great table.
You need to be the judge. It all depends on what you want your system to sound like. The Regas are dependable. But the Vpi's can be upgraded to the hilt. That is also a huge plus. Because you know, it does not ever end!!

Most everybody agrees that Bose are great speakers...

What about SOTA? I just moved laterally from a P3 to a SOTA Sapphire series II. The sound was starkly better, blacker background, better inner detail, the instruments seemed clearer, less distortion. You get the picture. There is a Sapphire fitted with a RB250 right now for under $700! The 250 is a good combination, and you could upgrade the armboard in the future(it looks like MDF). This is the combination I have and I love it. Plus SOTA tables have pitch control to lock in the speed without another purchase. They also use springs but in an inverted application, as opposed to VPI.

"Most everybody agrees that Bose are great speakers..."

Man...you must hang out with veeeerrry different people than I do...

Now, I may be newer here, but *in my opinion*, if you want to recommend that this poster try a modded-to-all-hell Tech 1200, then just say so. Elitest attitudes and downright bad advice like "they're all lateral moves" isn't going to help, and will only confuse and rile everyone...especially since anyone who has heard the 'tables we speak of could (and did) tell you that they are definitely NOT a lateral move from an MMF5...I don't want any trouble, just sayin' my piece so...peace ;)

Psychicanimal,

I've agreed with you in the past but you're not being helpful today. You've let your dogma overwhelm every other consideration, including the real world experiences of people who've heard the very tables Jdodmead is asking about.

You are technically correct that most people think Bose makes great speakers. But none of those people are A'gon members and none of them know a turntable from a toadstool. The opinions of Bose speaker fans are as irrelevant as the opinions of MP3 listeners.

Disclaimer - I'm a reformed Bose 901 owner, so I can be as adamant on that topic as a reformed smoker. In case anyone wants to know, a Shelter 901 is better than a Bose 901 - and for about the same price too! :)