Rega Planar 3 50th anniversary

@goodlistening64 

  I didn’t want to go through the whole song and dance about the experience with the Rega P5, but since you asked..

  I bought the P5 and the PSU from a reputable dealer here in Chicago.  The PSU died when it was under warranty.  Honestly the player didn’t sound any different with or without it.  I took the PSU back to the dealer.  It took almost a year to get a replacement from Rega.  This then died after a few weeks.  Back to the dealer I went, and was told that my complaint was not unique and that other customers were having trouble.  This time Rega refused to replace the PSU since the original warranty had expired.  I won’t recapitulate the back and forth between the dealer and myself.  At the time I was upset with the dealer, who I thought should compensate me in some fashion, but it really was Rega’s issue.  Since the PSU appeared to do nothing except look like an ugly paperweight I dropped it.

  Again, I query:  Why should a company have to make an extra gizmo, and charge substantial money for it, to correct an issue that proper engineering would have not allowed in the first place?  In what other industry are consumers so gullible as to shell out for something the company is admitting is faulty at the date of purchase?

I can only conclude that Rega and other companies are trying to squeeze every nickel they can from listeners well known to be obsessive about quality.

@lewm 

I would guess that over 50% of "audiophiles" have not personally swapped out a cartridge. It does take a steady hand and when you get up in age and your cartridge is north of $500, it just makes sense to let someone else who is skilled at it do it for you.

As for the VTA, I find vertical alignment a bit mystifying. An arm drops and as long as the weight of the arm is set correctly to match the needle, I do not understand all the controversy. I have a small scale that confirms the weight of the needle when it hits the record.

I have found that Rega cartridges do not have elongated needles and so the cartridge sits closer to the record. In contrast, the Sumiko Songbird I had has a long hollow needle that extends well beyond the cartridge which can be a setup for disaster. Just a micro touch of side by side, or perhaps a drop of the needle at a weight that is too heavy could easily break the needle. A cartridge such as the Songbird really does require caution, whereas the Rega cartridges are far more durable, if you will. It is part of the Rega selling point - just play records! - and don't worry about the technical side show that some TT's & cartridges require.

@mahler123 

The PSU is the motor that drives the platter to go round. It can be inside the plinth or a separate gizmo as you called it. Hence, if your motor dies, you unplug the PSU and replace it. 

The engineers chose to do it this way to reduce vibration at the table and when you can put the PSU on a different shelf it isolates the table which results in a black background and silent operation. 

Sorry to hear about your dealer fiasco. The industry has been under duress for 20 some years with many brick and mortar stores going under and the lone dealer left in my area - Overture - is only mildly interested in customer service for those not spending multiple thousands. Sign of the times.

@goodlistening64 

do you live around Ann Arbor?  I think I saw an Overture there.

So correct my ignorance here,but if the motor died, shouldn’t the whole thing not work?  The Rega spun discs, but as it turned out I brought the table to another reputable repair shop,on my own dime, and they confirmed that it was spinning at about 35.5 rpm.  They tried various tweaks and couldn’t fix it.  Neither the repair shop , the dealer, or Rega suggested that the motor was otherwise impaired.

  Again, the fact that Rega sold an add on to correct an issue that was inherent in their engineering, would suggest that Rega’s well known reputation for speed instability is well deserved 

"I would guess that over 50% of "audiophiles" have not personally swapped out a cartridge."  I would say that this is way off the reality.

"The PSU is the motor that drives the platter to go round. It can be inside the plinth or a separate gizmo as you called it." This is definitely total nonsense.

Come on @goodlistening64!