Seems to me the competition at the $1600 and $2500 price points has gotten sort of fierce. At $1600 you have the VPI Scout w/JMW9 arm, the Pro-Ject RM9.1, the Music Hall MMF7, the Funk Firm or Funk Vector with a variety of arms, including a Moth (Rega-sourced) with Incognito wiring option, and the Rega P5, Clearaudio Emotion/Satisfy, Marantz, Thorens TD700.
At $2500 you have the VPI ScoutMaster, Music Hall MMF9 with a nice cartridge, Pro-Ject RM10, Funk Vector with an even better arm, Thorens TD850 or TD2010, Clearaudio Champion Level 1, and one I think you *have* to consider at this price point, the Rega P7.
I heard a P7 recently and I felt that the way the music emerged from a peaceful, still, noise-free background was outstanding. I didn't realize how much of what?--hash? noise? IM? I dunno--colors the emotional content of audio playback until I heard the P7 where its total absence was notable--where my shoulders dropped and the tension went out of my body because of how it sounded and how it *didn't* sound. The Rega electronics may have helped, but it was obvious that the source (P7) was not contributing any hash to the signal.
