Which turntable should I buy?

There was an Acoustic Signature Final Tool at The Needle Doctor (www.needledoctor.com - I think...) for $1999. Add a Rega RB 250 or 300 arm and you have a tough combo to beat.

Both the VPI Scout and the Nottingham Spacedeck are viable alternatives - the Scout is getting rave reviews and is very upgradeable, and I heard a Spacedeck/Spacearm combo last week which was very impressive.

Don't know what the Avid DIVA sounds like, but if it has ANY resemblance at all to the VOLVERE SEQUEL it is definitely worth checking out.

Happy hunting - I'd love to hear how this one turns out...

You may want to look into Teres Audio tables. Lots in the discussion forums.

Nick,
As a Spacedeck/Spacearm/Shelter 501 owner, and having a friend with a Scoutmaster/JMW9/Denon103 & Dyna17d (i.e. Slipknot1), I would heartily recommend either of these tables. Haven't heard any of the new Thorens tables, but most of the raves seem to be from mag reviewers where they advertise.
Tough choice between the 'Nott & the VPI.
In the Spacedeck's favor, you get tremendous airy soundstage(hence the name), plenty of "PRAT", very high speed stability(w/o separate speed controller--although that is an upgrade option), natural timbre, option to add 2nd arm pod. Downside to some is the lack of finger tab on the tonearm, lack of power button(I actually like the feel of manually spinning the table to start it up!), uncommunicative corporate culture(guess you could just call them concise ;-) .
VPI gives you more slam on the bottom end, a slightly drier tonal balance IMHO, a clear and well defined upgrade path, and enough sales quantity to allow companies to design complementary accesories(e.g. Ghinko Cloud platforms) specifically designed to mate w/the VPIs.
Either of these table/arm combos would mate well with a number of different cartridges. Don't take the phono stage for granted, too. You'll want to make sure that your phono stage has appropriate settings for the cartridge you choose. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress! Cheers,
Spencer

You could buy a Michell Tecnodec w RB 250 AND a GSP Audio Era Gold MK 5 phono preamp for $2500- most often overlooked, and ESSENTIAL to good analog is the phono pre. SPEND SOME $$ HERE, and you'll thank yourself later.

In my opinion, if you want speed and dynamics, then you should seriously consider an unsuspended turntable in your price range, and use a rigid high-mass stand.

Select your arm with the cartridge in mind, that you plan to get. The arm and cartridge work together, and must be matched. If you fail to consider the cartridge when you pick the arm, you may find that the arm you bought and cartridge you want are not a suitable match, and you have to go to a 2nd choice in cartridge. The arm and cartridge always need to be considered together, even if you cannot afford the get the cartridge right now.

If I was going to get a $2500 table/arm right now, I'd seriously look at a DIY Teres 160 and an OL modded RB250, and then get a Denon DL103R cartridge for it.