Been running turntables since 1973. Started modifying around 1990. Built my own 15 years ago. Yeah sure I have suggestions.
With turntables there's two main schools of thought. Both work to the same goals but one verges more to tuning or tailoring vibration, the other to outright elimination. The eliminators can never eliminate everything so wind up having to do some tailoring. The tuners absolutely have to eliminate but try and do it with as little mass and as much stiffness as possible. The eliminators tend to a fuller more fully developed sound, the tuners trend faster, more incisive. Something I learned from Michael Fremer more than 20 years ago that has been borne out many times in my own hands-on experience. You can after a while just look at a table....
Which is why I wasn't surprised to read in Michael Fremer's review of the RP8, " somewhat harmonically (forgive me) skeletal." It helps also to know your reviewers. Mikey likes fast lean and detailed. I think he loves the RP8. If you like the current super-detailed sound trend you may love it too. Not me. Rega has a really good rep, a lot of which goes back when in the face of CD they decided to take a risk on machining for a really good tone arm. The result was the RB300, an arm that all by itself established Rega in the Analog Hall of Fame.
Its probably a really good table. Especially if you prefer fast and light over full and rich. Maybe not so much if you like a deep, wide, solid sound stage. https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/rega-rp8 "Not the most immersive sound stage." Ouch. Pass!
The Clearaudio to me just looks like a more well-rounded table, and I mean both appearance and sonically. Which is why I wasn't surprised at all to read the AbsoluteSound review. You probably know the one https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/clearaudio-concept-black-turntable-with-satisfy-tonearm/?p...
Then you have things like the Rega felt mat vs the cleaner ClearAudio platter. The Rega's George Jetson look vs the timeless Concept design. German engineering vs genuine British crapsmanship. (And I say that being the proud and very pleased owner of an Origin Live Conqueror. With its superb sonics, visible engineering flaws, and cold solder joint. British crapsmanship is sadly not just a witty phrase.)
When I talked to MF more than 20 years ago it was because turntables were scarce and there were none around to audition. Today there's way more turntables yet somehow when it comes to finding one to audition they are still just as scarce. Which is a shame. Hope this helps.
With turntables there's two main schools of thought. Both work to the same goals but one verges more to tuning or tailoring vibration, the other to outright elimination. The eliminators can never eliminate everything so wind up having to do some tailoring. The tuners absolutely have to eliminate but try and do it with as little mass and as much stiffness as possible. The eliminators tend to a fuller more fully developed sound, the tuners trend faster, more incisive. Something I learned from Michael Fremer more than 20 years ago that has been borne out many times in my own hands-on experience. You can after a while just look at a table....
Which is why I wasn't surprised to read in Michael Fremer's review of the RP8, " somewhat harmonically (forgive me) skeletal." It helps also to know your reviewers. Mikey likes fast lean and detailed. I think he loves the RP8. If you like the current super-detailed sound trend you may love it too. Not me. Rega has a really good rep, a lot of which goes back when in the face of CD they decided to take a risk on machining for a really good tone arm. The result was the RB300, an arm that all by itself established Rega in the Analog Hall of Fame.
Its probably a really good table. Especially if you prefer fast and light over full and rich. Maybe not so much if you like a deep, wide, solid sound stage. https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/rega-rp8 "Not the most immersive sound stage." Ouch. Pass!
The Clearaudio to me just looks like a more well-rounded table, and I mean both appearance and sonically. Which is why I wasn't surprised at all to read the AbsoluteSound review. You probably know the one https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/clearaudio-concept-black-turntable-with-satisfy-tonearm/?p...
Then you have things like the Rega felt mat vs the cleaner ClearAudio platter. The Rega's George Jetson look vs the timeless Concept design. German engineering vs genuine British crapsmanship. (And I say that being the proud and very pleased owner of an Origin Live Conqueror. With its superb sonics, visible engineering flaws, and cold solder joint. British crapsmanship is sadly not just a witty phrase.)
When I talked to MF more than 20 years ago it was because turntables were scarce and there were none around to audition. Today there's way more turntables yet somehow when it comes to finding one to audition they are still just as scarce. Which is a shame. Hope this helps.