Schubert,
I am glad we understand each other by respecting the individual approach to this hobby.
Theo,
I am glad I was able to help. Give my best regards to Frank. True gentleman that really knows his stuff. Personally, Groovetracer products have trully been a revelation in bringing out the best from entry level Rega turntables.
That said, I wouldn't change anything other than the counterweight on both the RP8 and 10. Their much improved subplatter, platter, double pulley, white belt, etc. are better than what Groovetracer has to offer.
The reason for tweaking my trusted RP3 was to bring it as close to the RP8 as possible because I fell in love with the sound of the RP8 and I couldn't afford to spend $3,000.00. So I started the slow proccess of acquiring the parts over a period of time.
Once finalized, a head to head comparison between my modified RP3/8 and a stock RP8 sold me out. Extremely similar in sound. If i had to descibe the main difference in one word I would say that mine sounded more "solid" while the stock sounded more "liquid". Subtle difference to my ears and extremely happy with the results.
Back to the original question posted:
other TT's in it's price range? Too many to mention but here are a few well reviewed examples:
Well Tempered Amadeus GTA or Versalex
Rega P9
VPI Classic 3
Basis Signature (various models)
Townsend Rock 7 with Origin Live arm
SOTA with Origin Live arm
Clearaudio Ovation
Michell Orbe SE with TecnoArm
Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace
Happy listening!