Upgrading Turntables. Stick with Rega?
I was in the pretty much same situation a few years ago - went from a Denon to a Rega P3-24 with a Rega Exact, and loved it. I eventually wanted to go up to the next step, and was patient, and bought a highly upgraded RP3 (full Cardas rewire, TTPSU, all the top of the line Groovetracer stuff, etc.) here on Audiogon for a great price. I put a new Exact on it, and I am pretty much set - sounds fantastic, and unless I am willing to upgrade all my other gear, all I think I need. Good luck with whatever you decide. |
Azimuth adjustment is often the difference the difference between good and sucks . And easy to do by ear if you can easily move up and down a bit . On Rega its a PITA . IMO you also need to send a Rega out to have the tone arm rewired before you play a record with those crappy clips they use . I owned several . |
Rega has it own sound so if you like it go with that. I own a P7 and I paid just a little over what you want to spend (it was a good deal) but the beauty of the P7 is there is nothing you really need to upgrade other than a spacer if you need them. I don’t fret over a millimeter with VTA. So I put money in the cartridge and kept upping the phono stage over time. Bang for your buck I would consider a used P3 and getting the best cartridge you can within your budget. Oh and spend $50 on a protractor. I use an AVID, set it, forget it, and listen to music. |
Regas are good at what they do - play LPs. A set it and forget it turntable. I have owned a P5, P7 & a P9; all very good at their price points. Regas knock is the adjustability of the TT. No VTA without putting spacers under the arm, no azimuth adjustment for that last little bit of music extraction, and the lightweight plinth. For your budget I would stay within the Rega lineup - user friendly tables. I suggest spednig 1/3 of budget on cartridge and the remainder o n the TT. |
Using the best source available-your P2- It wouldn't hurt to bump up the level of cart and phono stage. They can be used on a more substantial table upgrade, perhaps after you assess the entire system later. The sonic improvement may offer more value than another entry level table. P2-I would find a used aftermarket sub platter(not plastic) if that's possible?Huge sonic upgrade, but then it creates awareness of the next thing that could be upgraded. |
35 years ago I bought a Rega Planar II. - glass platter - very low wow and flutter - new style plinth that was supposed to shed vibrations - at the time way ahead of the competition But - I've modified it so much the only thing left of the original is the lid and the power switch. Would I buy Rega rtoday? - The amount of money I've spent I could afford a nice VPI There are so many things that need correcting on the Rega... - the plastic sub platter (on the cheaper models) - the arm - an Audiomods Arm is way better than most Rega offerings - The glass platter - rings like a bell - get an acrylic platter - the plinth - much better ones available today On the good side - you can take your time making the various upgrades as your budget allows and there are lots of options available from many companies. You might be very happy with the base product - but the competition has caught up and some might say they have beaten Rega at their own game. For your budget of $1000 you can get the VPI Nomad 2 https://www.musicdirect.com/store/vpi-nomad-turntable That would be my choice :-) Regards - Steve |
The best TT under a grand is Pioneer PLX-1000 @ $ 799 .Your Sumiko would sing on this . I've tried it on mine . A 50 buck Mobile Fidelity Geo Disc set-up disc worked VERY well on this and easy to use . Did that on mine as well. Regas come aligned , but only in horizontal and a bear to fool with on vertical . I 've owned at least a hundred TT's ,some in 2K range . Pioneer is among 2-3 best period . Reviews from Absolute Sound on PLX-1000 are spot on . |
