Best bang for the buck turntable?

I recently read a thread on Audioasylum that discusses a very intriguing table/arm combo.

Origin Live sells a mount for their OL1 tonearm (Rega RB250 tweaked and rewired) so the arm can be mounted on a Technics SL1200 table. The result is supposed to be quite impressive...according to an end user and a British reviewer.

A new Technics SL1200 runs about $500. The OL1 is $625, and mount is $35. Total cost = $1160. Of course, you can save a few bucks by buying a used SL1200.

Another option is the Incognito OEM Arm 1se, which is another rewired and tweaked version of the Rega RB250. The Incognito package is $529. So, total cost with the Origin Live Technics SL1200 mount and a SL1200 would be $1064.

I do not know what sounds better. I have a DAC-1 I am using with iTunes taken off cds at full CD quality. So upsampled thats 192kHz. But reconstructed and according to Rupert Neve (google) Digital is a total mess if you think you can hear it, but your brain does anyway. Anyway my bitter experience in audio is ANYTIME I 'saved' money it was wasted time. You got to get speakers, amps, cd players, cables, turn tables, riaa phono pre amps ~ FAR AS THAT GOES ~ most consumer items we buy these days - YEAH once and a while you get a good deal BUT you get what you pay for. If you have a 3K CD Player then you got to get a turn table is made as well. I DO NOT KNOW what that TT is or costs BUT you can not get away with a Rega P3 unless it is totally modded. Sure it will sound great and be analog and depending on the phone pre and cartridge you use, you will get nice analog BUT NO WAY it will sound as sweet as the P4 or P5 ~ Unless fully modded which costs more than the TT or about as much. A GREAT CARTRIDGE can easily be $500 to $1,000 alone. MY TWO CENTS ARE THAT IF YOU SPEND $3,000 on your TT, phono pre, cartridge etc. and buy a nitty gritty cleaning machine. i.e. as much as your CD Player ~ THEN YOU WILL BE HAPPY ~ Maybe broke but VERY HAPPY ~ you spend $1,000 you will be indifferent - Then again used you can get some $3k tables for about that much you look SOOOOOOOOOO>

I have a $1000 analog front end - MMF-7, Goldring Eroica H, Lehmann Black Cube SE. It sounds more alive and dynamic than my $2500 digital front end, which sounds flat in comparison when playing the same music on both formats. I'm of the belief one doesn't have to spend a great deal of money on analog to realize it's benefits.

No question, a good Garrard 301.

The new improved version of the Rega P 3 is about a month or so away from shipping. It will include th option of adding the same outboard power supply that is available as an option for the P5, a significant upgrade. The price will increase but will still be a bargain at probably $800. The recently improved P2 and recently released P1, Ortofon cartridge included, are both bargains at $525 and $350 respectively. Both are candidates for upgrading from the stock MDF platter to a glass platter for $70, an easily audible improvement. The P5 is a more serious table and arm combo for $1295. The new versions of the Rega cartridges are quite good an available at a discount with a table package. You'd be hard pressed to do better than a P5 with an Exact for the money and that goes for any of the lesser combos in the line. Above that price and the competition gets more complicated. Their phono stage is quite good for the money as well.

Bear in mind I am a Rega dealer...

Good luck on your adventure!