Rega RP3? Yes or No?

chgolatin2 · « **on:** 12 Sep 2015, 12:17 am »

Considering going back to vinyl. Just yesterday I auditioned a Rogue Cronus Magnum II with a Rega P5 which the P5 was a per-owned turntable at $1099, final selling price of $900 with the Rega separate power supply. According to the charismatic salesmen the table was worth 3k, especially with all the upgrades and cartridge

but anyway I kinda ran with it and let him set up the Rogue and the turntable. Nice sounding stuff, but there was a problem that the turntable had an issue with the tonearm that they fix on the spot. Either way, they decided to try to sell me the table at $900 and the Rogue at $2100, taxes, etc total would of been like $3385

Well, I came to the conclusion that I rather buy a table new and not per-owned. So I came across the Rega RP3 nice looking turntable but all honesty I don't know much about turntables and I am no expert audiophile guru. I just like good sounding music but I don't have an expensive taste if you know what I mean? So for a nice budget friendly turntable at around $1000 is this consider to be a good buy or should I consider something else? Suggestion and guidance would be greatly appreciated. On one last note, I decided to contact an out of state retailer to inquire about the Rogue Cronus Magnum II and the RP3, final price shipped would of been $2800~!

That's almost $500 cheaper~ and no Chicago stupid exuberant tax charges.

Thanks in advance~

neobop · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Sep 2015, 09:11 pm »

Perhaps you should consider a dealer demo. You get full warranty and a discount. Right now there's a RP6 on Audiogon around $1100.

In this price range Rega is one of the usual suspects, along with ProJect, Clearaudio/Marantz, Thorens and the new Pioneer direct drive? I'm not crazy about Rega, but many people like them. If the amp is an upgrade maybe hold off and buy separately. IMO you should get the best you can going in. Upgrading costs more money in the long run.
neo

Letitroll98 · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Sep 2015, 10:16 pm »

I wonder about the relative quality between the P5 and RP6. With the 5 you get the RB700 arm vs the RB303 with the 6. The RP6 gets you the TT PSU, upgrade platter, and that aluminum brace in the plinth. Not sure which ends up getting you the better SQ, but I might guess the better arm if pressed to give an answer. What do you guys think?

jarcher · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Sep 2015, 11:00 pm »

Well, first of all if you and more people don't support your local dealer (and local tax base) over a $500 difference when they spent hours with you and offered you a very good deal on a better table, then you won't have a local dealer.

As to the turntable : also not a fan of Rega's - seems the more you spend, the less you get......literally.

For a decent entry level keeper table I'd look at the Clearaudio Concept @ $1,400 w/out cartridge ($1,600 w/ Concept MM). It'l give you the PRAT etc that Rega's are supposed to be known for, but with much better fit, finish and precision. Just please don't go to your local dealer to check it out, then call around to all the out of state dealers just to deprive Chicago of their sales tax.......your local dealers time is really worth something, try to respect that.

klamka · « **Reply #4 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 04:43 am »

Agree regarding Rega , the more you spend the less you get . Don't buy any cheap EU tables . If they cost here $1k with 50% dealer markup ,shipping charges , warranty costs calculated they must cost NOTHING to manufacture and it shows. To hell with local dealers , especially Chicago based ones

, they all can go dig ditches and lose a little bit of fat on the bellies.
There is as much chance of assembling a good system playing internet roulette than to go to Chicago's audio dealer .They are all failed former car salesmans...Actually the whole city is populated with failed car salesmans ..
nah, skip the Clearaudio Concept as well .It's more a fashion brand than anything else , but you do get better fit and finish for a premium and funky magnet tonearm .

sfox7076 · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 04:47 am »

I have never heard/seen a Rega that worked right for more than 3-4 months at a time. They just don't seem to keep the pitch right...

klamka · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 05:01 am »

Buy used Linn LP12 from owner who maintained the table and represents certain level . All those Rega , Projects ,Clearaudio and many other "aspiring" brands represent a budget level almost regardless of price while Linn is a high end table . That's the sad truth and I'm not a Linnie ...

brooklyn · « **Reply #7 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 05:19 am »

Not a big fan of Rega either. I bought a VPI Scout around ten years ago and haven’t
thought about getting a new turntable since. Built like a tank.. Sounds great.. Might
find one used for the money you want to spend.

$500.00 is a lot of money.. Bargain with the audio shop if you decide to buy there.

neobop · « **Reply #8 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 12:30 pm »

Yea, but how do you really feel about Rega?

The thing, or one of the things about Rega - it's an upgrade platform. Features are sadly deficient from the factory and there's a whole cottage industry offering mods. The arm comes with no provision for height adjustment (Roy Gandy is tone deaf), and it's wired incorrectly, no ground wire. That might not present a problem, but it could and then what? Arm geometry is designed for cheap carts - to minimize inner groove problems at the expense of lower distortion alignments. The good thing about the arms is the die cast armtube. The rest is barebones.

Most of these belt drivers < $1K have speed stability issues and need a speed controller box if you happen to be sensitive to that.

"What This Country Needs is a Really Good 5-Cent Cigar" (Thomas Reilly Marshall)

Don't smoke cigars? What Chgolatin needs is really good thousand dollar table. New, it doesn't exist. I can find a an excellent vintage DD for < $1K and it won't need a speed box, but it might be 30 yrs old!!

I vote for Scout or Scout Jr. Look for a demo or gently used. A used LP12 is more money methinks. Maybe a Sota (one under the Sapphire) would be okay, but there are many Scouts and dealer/factory support is good.

There must be a VPI dealer in windy city. BTW, dealer markup is not 50%. It's usually around 40% if you pay on time, and dealers usually have to pay for shipping which is considerable these days. If you know what you want and don't spend hrs asking for demos and complicated deals, maybe you can get a new table written up as a demo. I would have done that in a heartbeat - give you 10 to 15% off and set-up the table for you. Tax is a fact of life. You can avoid it buying used, but you won't have dealer support or warranty.
neo

gene9p · « **Reply #9 on:** 14 Sep 2015, 01:24 pm »

There are scout jr demo's available at soundstagedirect.com at a good price and full warranty.

http://www.soundstagedirect.com/vpi-turntables.shtml

For me I really like my Rega p3-24 with the tt psu. Last year I add the exact cartridge and just the other day I changed the subplatter to one from deepgroove.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161780468513?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

For 99 bucks it really is an easy install and improves the sound dramatically. At least to my ears. I had also added the white belt awhile ago but cannot say it did anything.

I like the easy set up of Rega's but won't argue that VPI meets the needs of those who really like to do settings and adjustments and leans towards a more educated and demanding audiophile. Rega is more of a plug and play and there is so much in the way of adding to the table. Groove tracer.com makes a more costly sub platter and offers a very nice delrin replacement platter and counterweight. I think both VPI and Rega are excellent choices but for a beginner getting into vinyl , Rega may be the better way to go.

I am happy with my Rega and the way it sounds right now..did I mention an rb303 arm is on the way....somebody purchased an rp6 and upgraded it and is selling some parts brand new unused!

Check out audiogon .com for great deals on used Rega's.

Soundstagedirect.com is taking in trade in's on both Rega and VPI's and providing warranties for them.!!

jarcher · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 01:30 am »

I wouldn't put Clearaudio in the plastic fantastic category of Regas, Projects or Music Halls (which are made by Projects). Under $1k Pro-ject actually makes a pretty decent table and good bang for the buck.

Not sure why Clearaudio would be considered a "fashion brand" either - aside from a bit of wood trim on some models, it's all Bauhaus form follows function - even the wood trim "panzerholz" is ballistic grade dense wood meant to provide resonance control long with added warmth and musicality. So even the decorative bits have a performance function. Unlike Rega or Project, all Clearaudio does is turntables, tonearms, cartridges and phono stages. It's about as serious a dedicated vinyl playback company as you're going to get.

As for dealers : Neobop makes some good points. At the end of the day your average hifi salesperson who has taken hours to study up, set up, demo and answer endless questions on a turntable purchase before, during and after sales will as a result take in at best $30 per $1K or even less if they are purely on fixed salary. So maybe marginally more than a waiter or your Best Buy salesperson - and on a $ per time spent probably less. Most dealership owners aren't exactly rolling in the big bucks either. Something worth considering vs chasing the very best possible deal.

mr_bill · « **Reply #11 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 01:54 am »

Fremer raved about the Rega RP 8.
I was thinking of that table. Any love for the 8?

pconley2 · « **Reply #12 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 04:28 am »

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but I am a happy P3 owner. I have had it for the last 4 years or so and have been getting more and more back into vinyl. Could there be better turntables, certainly, but I thought that chgolatin2 should hear from the other side. I bought mine from a dealer who specializes in turntables (called the Analog Room) who is no more than 2 miles from my house (I know that is very unusual and very fortunate).
That it was set up by a specialist who does nothing but turntables, with many that are much higher end than mine, I am reminded that almost any turntable can sound bad when improperly set up, very easy to do, and almost any turntable will be improved by the careful set up that a Framer would do.
If you don't know how to properly mount the cartridge and do all of the necessary adjustments, make sure that you get if from a dealer who will or that you have a friend who knows how, getting the right turntable is important, setting it up correctly is crucial.

Phil

Rocket · « **Reply #13 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 06:28 am »

Hi Guys,

Same here I was happy with my Rega P3 for about 10 years until I upgrade to a Goldnote turntable a few years ago. Why no love for Rega? Although that said if you can afford another $500USD the VPI Scout Jr sounds like a great turntable.

Cheers Rod

neobop · « **Reply #14 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 11:29 am »

It's all relative - relative to what else your money could buy. Sometimes you have to stop thinking only in terms of what you know or have heard, and start considering possibilities - what you don't know.

I've never heard a PLX-1000, but it's been discussed here and elsewhere. Some idiots hate it simply because it's made in China. Well the Japanese manufacture in China, Philippines, Indonesia, etc. for over 20 yrs. so now all of a sudden it's passé. Check out this owner who says it beat his Scout:
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=vinyl&m=1105472

It's good that many are pleased with their purchase, but then some become cheerleaders for a particular brand, closing their mind to other possibilities. If you lived with both, you might agree with the assessment, or not, but how do you know?
neo

gene9p · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 Sep 2015, 01:11 pm »

The important thing is that we are all into vinyl........so spin those LP's and enjoy no matter what your TT preference might be

klamka · « **Reply #16 on:** 16 Sep 2015, 02:08 pm »

actually , yes . It takes a lot of effort to set up and maintain record collection and play music from vinyl . As to the turntables , my opinion is that cheap plastic toy table setup right with good cartridge and on proper platform will compete with most average audiophile setups many times the price .
There is a lot of love for Rega around actually . I had P2 , P25 and P9 . P25 was a good table, reasonably well made and I should have kept it. Comparably Clearaudio Concept with Virtuoso wood MKI wasn't all that exciting. I should have explained that by mentioning it as a "fashion brand " I meant that it will appeal to " fashion /design oriented customer where look is as much (or more) important as sound. Not that there is something wrong with them although looking on the mountain of acrylic of their statement product I have a mixed feeling. My problem with dealers is that most (not all) seem to think their customer is an idiot/milking cow. But I do know that some of them would be (much ) better off financially by keeping a day job instead. At least the ones I consider my friends .
Back to the original topic , RP3 yes or no - it will do the job and it's a fairly universal platform . It doesn't require heavy stand and it's happy on $9 Ikea table. It will take most MM/ MC cartridges and do well enough. It is not a bargain it used to be and not a great investment. Not much pride of ownership . You will have hard time giving it away for fraction of dealer price and never recover any "mods" money should you consider this route . But, upgrading can be a good fun and having a hobby is not about saving money usually.
I'm moving so against all I said I sold my Lp12 ,heavy tables go to storage and I'm taking with me Rega, such hypocrite I am ...

jarcher · « **Reply #17 on:** 17 Sep 2015, 03:01 am »

It's always amusing that as we all debate among ourselves the OP goes AWOL as usual.....and we don't even notice

Chgolatin2 (is their a chgolatin1?) : what's up? We need more fuel for the fire!

chgolatin2 · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Sep 2015, 12:44 pm »

Quote from: jarcher on 17 Sep 2015, 03:01 am

It's always amusing that as we all debate among ourselves the OP goes AWOL as usual.....and we don't even notice

Chgolatin2 (is their a chgolatin1?) : what's up? We need more fuel for the fire!

Hey brother not AWOL, lol but interesting comment. At first when I posted the thread I didn't get any responses so I let it sit for a bit until I got some feedback. At the end of the day I decided to go with a vintage Technic SL1200 nicely modded and set to go with a Stanton 500 cartridge. I am no vinyl or turntable expert so I figured why spend a lot when you are just returning or are new to vinyl?

Thanks for all the positive feedback~

jarcher · « **Reply #19 on:** 20 Sep 2015, 02:59 pm »

Good choice. Best to confirm vinyl is your thing before spending the big bucks. Best of luck to you.