Turntables
Hey all! I've been circling a Rega P10 turntable, which is their latest iteration. It has gotten great reviews by Rega afficionados, but not much notice from the TT community at large, that I can find. It's a deviation from the conventional thinking that mass=stability, and quiet. It is very lightweight, but stiff. I like unconventional, and am willing to take a leap, though. Question is, of course, has anyone had any experience with these TT's and what thoughts do you have? (Michael Fremer at Analog Planet did a 5 part video of the Rega factory with Roy Gandy a couple of years ago and I have to say I was really impressed by his devotion to his art and his conviction about the direction Rega has taken with its TT's.)
It could be a winner. One cartridge on a ’fixed’ tonearm, that is my only concern about very many new TT’s. Do you now, or intend to have MONO LP’s (many many great Jazz LP’s are MONO). Will you want ’alternate’ stereo cartridges? i.e. MM; MC; elliptical; advanced stylus shape; one with a brush for warped LPs? An arm with a removable headshell allows these options in the future. Another consideration is choosing a TT that allows you to ADD a second tonearm if you want, that arm could be the removable headshell type. .................................. In any scenario, replacing the supplied cartridge with ’better’, or ’when worn’ requires a mix of skills and a few in-expensive tools. A dealer? friend? Acquire the skills yourself? For life, acquire the knowledge/skills/tools yourself!!! |
Yesterday I refined the two tonearm’s geometry and two headshells/cartridges alignments for a friend. Long Arm: MC Stereo; Short Arm: MC Mono. We listened, stereo/mono for a few hours, switch arm in seconds. Luxman TT has a two arm integral junction box with front switch A or B, thus single phono cable to his MM/MC phono stage Alternate cartridges in headshells, pre-aligned for short arm: Shure mx97e, with damped brush for warped LP’s; AT14s for MM Shibata replaceable stylus (avoid unnecessary wear to more costly MC Stereo stylus). He is soooo glad I advised him to get a TT with 2 tonearms. He had been ready to plunk down a lot of money for a Clearaudio with 1 arm, fixed cartridge.
There is more technology in that TT than I thought, we chose Micro Seiki 505 and 505L arms (both silver wire) for it’s many features: a. simple hole mount b. VTA on the FLY base c. Removable Headshell d. Headshell fitting adjustable for Azimuth. f. Integral Arm Rest, g. Arm Lift, 2 way adjustable (raise/lower mechanism/adjustable length screw thru arm above lift plate. h. adjustable dymamic tracking force (tungsten wire); and adjustable anti-skate (on the fly if you have steady hands). https://www.vinylengine.com/library/micro-seiki/ma-505.shtml
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