Rega RP3 or Pro-ject Expression III?

To be honest with you, I think this table sounds just "right" out of the box. No after market sub-platter/acrylic platter should be necessary. On the other hand, the TT-PSU, an isolation sandbox, and a better cartridge will really bring this table to a whole new level. Michael Fremer installed a Lyra Helikon SL in this table/PSU combo with great results (Stereophile, December 2011). This speaks volume about its capabilities. HiFi Choice winner 2011 (won over the Pro-ject Xperience 2 Pack and the SRM Tech Athena, both costing much more than the RP3), What Hi Fi 5 stars and top choice $1,500.00 and under . Rave reviews by Jeff Dorgay, Giovanni Militano, Wayne Garcia, Michael Fremer, and Jim Clements all over the analog world.

I have owned many great tables from Linn, Pro-ject, Nottingham Analogue, VPI, Sota, Funk Firm, etc. I'm frankly astonished at how good this new Planar 3 is. Clearly the arm refinements and the double brace tech have had a dramatic effect. Gandy has always believed that heavy turntables, although somewhat resistant to the onset of vibration, will always vibrate and when they do they tend to store energy in their mass as opposed to dissipating the energy. Rega tables will vibrate as well, but for a shorter duration and with less amplitude. This philosophy makes total sense to me.Now the plinth is lighter than ever and stiffer between the spindle and the tonearm. Light but extremely rigid thus avoiding resonance. It's so good that all you have to do is partner this TT with the right equipment, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Why the Delos?
Analog is all about the last 10%. The Delos will bring improved tracking, improved dynamic range and linearity, better timbre differentiation between various instruments, greater range of tones from individual instruments that reflect more accurately what each performer is doing. In other words, with a cartridge like the Delos you will be able to hear how revealing and dynamic this table can sound.

Limitations? Sure, it's not perfect and a Townshend Audio Rock 7 will prove that in a heat beat. That said, find me a better table/arm/PSU combo for $1,290.00..........hard to beat (again, to my ears).

I would suggest a head-to-head comparison between the RP3/TT-PSU and the RP6 before you decide on the RP6. I couldn't hear the difference between the two. Just a thought.

The new Rega RP3 is in a league of it's own. You will have to move way up to find a better table for the money. Rega's engineering surpasses pro-ject (as well as many others) spending the money where it counts the most. The result is an extremely rigid yet light TT. This beauty is exceedingly better than the previous model. Just go for a better cartridge and look no further.
Rega RP3/Lyra Delos/DV P75/Cronus Magnum/Canalis Anima/Straight Wire Maestro speaker cables/interconnects.
One more thing, the only TT isolation that works is a sandbox.
Happy listening!

True that a wall mount will work extremely well. No doubt about that! It is indeed the second best way to isolate turntables. That said, wall mounts are still receptive to vibration, specially if your speakers are rear ported and placed too close to the back wall. If you really want to reduce resonance to a whole new level, the sandbox is the way to go. Hear it for yourself and, most likely, you will agree.
The VPI HW19 is an amazing table simply because of the way it was built. No parts spared here! Sadly, I cannot share the same excitement with their newer products. I have owned both the HW19 and the Scout and the HW19 sounded much better (to my ears) with an RB250 at half the cost. If you can find a decent HW19/RB250, go for it. Otherwise, $895.00 for a brand new Rega RP3 will provide you with years of happiness, not to mention the fact that there is an upgradable path that will bring this TT to even higher grounds. Just my honest opinion.

I use stock, out of the box RP3 with no type of modification what so ever. After 20 years of trial and error, I've learned to put the money where it matters the most. Just be careful how you spend your money, trust your ears, and keep in mind that it is in the cartridge where it all begins. You just need a TT that can dissipate as much resonance as possible. Less external vibration equals better music reproduction. Music retrieval is proportionate to the quality of the cartridge.

I did read the current issue of the Hi-Fi critic, great review overall. My job is not to convince you otherwise nor to take any credits away from the RP6. It is indeed a TT that I would own in a heart beat. I have not auditioned a Clearaudio Concept but I owned a Champion Level I. As good as the Champion was, I would go with an RP6 without hesitation. Another huge factor, the Elys and Exact are worlds apart. Would you rather own a DV 10x5 or a DV 20x2? You will definitely retrieve more information with the Exact cartridge, no doubt about it.

Here are my two cents; same plinth, same arm, same sub-platter, same motor, same double brace technology, slightly different glass platter that weights almost the same, different feet that may or may not make a difference depending on your isolation platform, both with TT-PSU sound very, very similar........ to my ears. Just saying that perhaps saving $200.00 and spending this money on a better cartridge may be worth trying.

Hey Dubrin,
Music Direct is now selling B-stock Rega P7 for $1,795.00! That is $900.00 off the original price. Pretty cool if you ask me. State of the art ceramic platter, much improved RBI 700 arm, P9 feet, TT-PSU, all in all, a great bargain.
You may want to consider this TT before you decide between the RP6 and the Clearaudio Concept.
Jose