thoughts on Goldring GR2

i too am looking at a goldring gr-2. have compared other good audiogone finds such as mmf 5.1 and rega p1, p2, and p3's as price points, but what is the better turntable with tubes?

I have an NAD 533, and am quite happy with its "bang for the buck" value. It has a smooth sounding Goldring Elektra cartridge, with plenty of resolution, low end definition, truth of timbre, and realistic soundstaging. I upgraded to a better Rega glass platter (click on my "system" to check it out), and I love the way my records sound. When I have the dinero, I'm looking forward to a Rega P-5 table (with a Rega Exact 2, Ortofon 2M Black, or Dynavector 20X high output), but, for now, I agree with Hyperreal's recommendations.
Good Luck and Happy Listening !!

I imagine you're probably thinking of getting it used. It is a very good value, comparable more to the P2 than to the P3-24 or its variants. Has the legit RB250, not the wannabe that comes on the Goldring GR1.2. What cartridge are you considering? Matching to the Rega arm is fairly easy but nonetheless should still be an important consideration. If you find one on the used market you should jump on it, they don't come up that often. It is also possible to find the NAD 533 or even the Rega P2 for around the same price used and those are all identical tables.