Turntable Choices

You should also consider something vintage. I love the old DD luxmans and belt drive Thorens. You can get a table/arm for under $300. I have had many high and low price tables/arms in my systems over the years and I've found they all sound good. Not any one of them is any better than the next---only different. Belt drives are more for soundstage lovers, DD for pitch stabity.

I have the MMF-9 and I'm totally satisfied. I've talked to Roy Hall several times with questions and he's been very helpful.

You can get a used Sota in that price range that would make you quite happy!

Tables that are 20 years old can be a good value but they can also be someone else's problem you now own. There are so many decent tables from cheap to absurdly expensive buying a 20 year old table is not a rational economic decision most of the time. When you can buy a used MMF 2.1 for 200 bux or a Rega Planar 2 for not much more it is hard to justify a 20 y/o Systemdek or AR for the same money. I've been there and done that; current table is one produced currently.

Or buy a table from a company that has been around for a long time that continues to support their products at the very least (Linn, VPI, Michell, Nottingham, SME).

I totally agree. I hate to buy used, unless i know first hand, that it has been well taken care of. Anyway, I think i'm going to go with a vpi scout, it just looks so sweet, and from everything i've heard and read, it sounds sweet too.
Thanks alot guys,
Reade.