Sharing my excitement........new Rega P3-24 table

Well, my friends, after two weeks of "break-in," I gotta tell ya'all that this Rega P3-24/Rega Exact combination is really, really good. The cartridge is burning in quite nicely after about 30 hours of listening, and I'm starting to feel sorry for my 600+ CD collection. My vinyl LP's are getting all the attention.

Although I just bought Neil Young's Massey Hall disc (since my Rotel deck is HDCD, I wanted the CD instead of the LP) and it sounds fantastic, my LP jazz stuff has never sounded better. From original pressings through Blue Note and OJC re-issues, my records are bringing me more musical joy than I ever thought possible. There is some very natural synergy between all my components and cables now, and the music sounds absolutely wonderful.

My best regards to all of you for a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2009 !!
HAPPY LISTENING !!!

As promised.....updated system photos showing my beautiful new analog front end.

Hey Guys...........I need to mention that the audition protocol that Rich described was, for me, quite a learning experience. Sonny Rollins' "I'm an Old Cowhand" ("Way Out West" with Ray Brown and Shelley Manne) and Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debbie" (with Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian) were our two main demo cuts, and Rich was very patient with showing me the improvement with each step up the audio ladder. "Boss Tenor" was the icing on the cake. The analog audition through Rich's Merlin speakers and Joule tube amps was incredible.

The Herbie's mat sounded cleaner and "less fuzzy" than the Rega felt, and the TT-PSU seemed to extend the back depth of the soundstage and to create a better defined bottom
end. I plan on enjoying my new table "as is" for the next few weeks, and then I'll probably buy the Herbie's mat. The TT-PSU will be my next upgrade, and then I plan on spending the next few years firmly seated in "audio nirvana", in front of my Rega, Rogue, and Vandersteens.

When I got home and set up the new table (real easy, since Rich did all the work at his place), I played Grant Green, Wayne Shorter, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and The Allman Brothers. My wife came down to my listening room and said, basically, "Wow.....that new Rega thing sounds awesome !" So, boys and girls, I guess I did good.

Happy Holidays to all, and Happy Listening !!

Thank you for the business and the kind words Adam... I'm really glad you are enjoying the new table so much. FWIW, What I did for Adam's demo was to first play his old table for him and then switch over to his new P3/24 Exact using the same system. From there we did some comparison of the Herbies Audio Lab turntable mat (my fav tweak for Rega tables) to the stock felt mat and then I added the TT-PSU. I kept the volume levels the same for the demo and we used a couple of tracks from two LPs which Adam was familiar with. We topped it all off with a couple of tracks from a 45rpm test pressing I have of Gene Ammons Boss Tenor. :-)

These are my fav type of demo's as the customer gets the chance to see the improvements and evaluate their worth as we go along. Also, always a pleasure of doing business with a customer that takes such good care of his gear. Adam's old NAD 533 (Planar 2) box and all - is in terrific shape, so I'm sure I'll have no problem fining it a happy new home.

Rich

Glad you enjoy your set-up, Adam!

I have to agree that the Exact cartridge is a true sleeper. It surprised me when I had it on my Rega P5. I even kept it when I upgraded to the P7 although I did get a Dynavector MC cartridge - DV20XH.

Congrats and enjoy!!!

Congratulations on the new Purchase
Now I suggest you refrain yourself from looking and reading up on any other turntables and enjoy the music ..I wish I could follow this advice

Thanks for the positive responses so far. As you all know by my many previous threads, I do indeed "enjoy the music," and it's great to now have a TT that will make my record collection sound so much better.
And, yes, Piedpiper, I did audition the TT-PSU, and I heard a definite improvement. That will be my next purchase, probably early Spring.

d'ya get a demo of the outboard power supply?

Congrats!!! Now the secret is to hold on to that happy feeling for as long as possible. It will help eliminate the upgrade bug and extend that happy feeling if you stop reading these threads and the glossy rags.......and just enjoy the music.

Peace,
John

Congrats on you new TT! I clicked over to your system thread and noticed you have a lot of vinyl to listen to. A great looking set-up too!
I agree- "to your ears" is what matters.
Happy Holidays!