[drphoto]

I just won an auction on a Rega P3/24.

I hope the hell I'm not losing my mind.

I have to admit, this just seems crazy.

 You guys (and gals) better be right about this vinyl thing or I'm going to hunt you down and smack you upside the head w/ a "Framton Comes Alive" double LP. And that's gotta hurt.... on several levels.
 

[TheChairGuy]

A P3/24 should give you the vinyl groove we all have, good Doctor

Hope to hear about positive results when you get it all set up

John

[vinyl_guy]

Good choice and welcome aboard I don't think you will look back or regret this moment one iota. In 2006, I replaced my 1975 B & O Beogram with a Pro-ject Perspective with the intent of listening to all my records from the 60s & 70s that never made it to CD. Four years later, 90% of my music purchases are vinyl and more than 90% of my listening time is spinning vinyl.

Wishing you many hours of happy listening. I think you'll be amazed at how much music is in those grooves.

Laura

[Wayner]

Might I suggest a 17.7mm overhang to go with the Loefgren B curve. Did you get the model with the speed control unit?

Wayner 

[drphoto]

Wayne, I think I'm in over my head because I have know idea what your first sentence means.  I have some idea that the Loefgren B curve relates to one of those protracters and describes the arc the arm traces across the platter.

I don't think this unit has an external speed control, but it does have the 24v electronically controlled motor derived from the P7. According to what I read this motor is extremely quiet and given the solid plinth is a big step up in performance over the previous P3 iterations.

We'll see. Or hear, I suppose. Should be here Friday, but I'll  probably miss the shipment due to work.

[sts9fan]

[Wayner]

Pictures say a thousand words, sometimes quite incompletely. They also can be interpreted very differently from person to person.

Being that you are an Audiocircles "VOLUNTEER", one would guess it would be part of your job to keep the peace, but I see you like to actually be the agitator, in several threads.

Might  I suggest your "volunteer" status be stripped from you? Edited: Too harsh on my part. The square peg does remind me of a stylus.

Wayner

[sts9fan]

My apologies if I offended.  I was just POORLY commenting on the half hearted title of the thread. 

Might  I suggest your "volunteer" status be stripped from you?

To quote Ty Webb "This isn't Russia is it?"

[macrojack]

While I don't agree with Wayner's suggestion that you be stripped of your volunteer status, I do agree that you are an agitator. In your position, you should strive to keep the boat on an even keel - not rock it.
Where does your allusion to a square peg in a round hole fit? Was it a fitting comment or was it a square peg itself? What was your intention? How was it provoked? Who was it aimed at?

[Wayner]

No Danny, this isn't Russia, you don't have to go to college. OK, perhaps I was a little thin skinned and I apologize for that. Please remember that what may seem trivial or old hat to you (or me), is something brand new to others. drphoto is a newbie to vinyl and he will need some coaching to get his system set up. We need to help all the newbies get started, it's kind of our duty as AC members. That's my point.

Wayner 

 

[sts9fan]

Point taken.  Have fun!

[TheChairGuy]

Alright - back on subject guys - let's get our newbie drphoto (and others) comfortable with vinyl.

Truly, macrojack and Wayner...labeling anyone else an 'agitator' is grossly overlooking your issues on such matters over a broad period of time here at AC.

Save perhaps maxcast and lonewolfny42, any member with over 2000 posts probably has stirred the pot a bit more than they'd like to remember just due to their frequency of posting.

Back on track - without attracting the new, or replacing the lost, all this vinylphooldom will be pleasant and bygone nostalgia in a few years

Music listening is most fun for me with vinyl as it's source....I just want to spread the word for purely selfish reasons

John

[Sonny]

Wayne, I think I'm in over my head because I have know idea what your first sentence means.  I have some idea that the Loefgren B curve relates to one of those protracters and describes the arc the arm traces across the platter.

I don't think this unit has an external speed control, but it does have the 24v electronically controlled motor derived from the P7. According to what I read this motor is extremely quiet and given the solid plinth is a big step up in performance over the previous P3 iterations.

We'll see. Or hear, I suppose. Should be here Friday, but I'll  probably miss the shipment due to work.

Well, the overhang is the distance between the stylus and spindle.  This basically counts or adds to the total of your distance from spindle to the tonearm pivot.  The overhang is determined by this distance as well as the offset angle of the headshell.  This, helps you determine the mounting distance which is best for the tonearm effective length, etc.  Finally, this plays into how, based on mathamatics, accurate your tracking can be along with the cartridge alginment...

Hope this helps...

BTW, I started out with a P3 as well...and now, there's nothing but trouble as updgrades and more spening is unforseen, but invetible...

T

[drphoto]

Thanks Tuan. Yeah, I have a feeling this little experiment is gonna cost me a lot of money.

Hey, I certainly took no offense from that photo. I actually thought it was pretty funny.

And yes, I suppose my thread title does sound a bit 'half hearted'.

I suppose I should have said. "I'm in the club now!!!"

After 30 years of simply popping in the silver disk, I do feel like I'm trying to pound a square peg into a round hole.

But learning new stuff is what makes life fun. After all, I'm back in college after those same 30 years.

As I've said before I really appreciate all the support you guys have given me on my numerous post on this topic over the past few weeks.

[SteveFord]

Photo aside, congratulations on your purchase, I hope it gives you many hours of listening pleasure.

[Stu Pitt]

The P3-24 is a great table.  Congrats!

What cartridge are you going to use?  A lot of people suggest the Rega carts due to simplicity, house sound, etc.  I actually don't like them very much.

The Dynavector 10x5 is a fantastic match on that table.  My Rega dealer uses it as his benchmark with that deck and the P5.

The TTPSU (Speed Controller) is a great upgrade.  Its not just a convenience thing for switching speeds; it locks in a consistant speed.  Not trying to get you to spend more money, just responding because it was brought up.  But after you get everything settled and are itching to improve the deck, the TTPSU is a no brainer IMO.  Just make sure everything is set up correctly and you're getting the most out of your deck before you start upgrading things.

[TheChairGuy]

Thanks Tuan. Yeah, I have a feeling this little experiment is gonna cost me a lot of money.

This 'experiment' will hopefully result in understanding why us vinylphools think of most digital playback and passable background music only. 

If you persevere (I think the P3/24 is probably a great staring point....WAY better than the old Thorens) with all this painful vinyl tinkering a bit longer...I think it will ALL come together for you.

Unless you are so pressed for time and dislike the many more tasks required of listening to vinyl...you'll love vinyl.  For the music sake, I've found nothing that compares to vinyl for musical appreciation.

Hang tuff John

[drphoto]

As far as a cartrige, I'm going to start w/ the Grado Green w/ longhorn, as that's what I have on hand. Hopefully w/ the new 24v. motor, there will not be the hum problem that happened w/ older Rega's.

Thanks to an auction, I was able to get this version for not much more than an older P3, and the new motor is supposed to be much more stable and quiet.

Taking the plunge back to a tube pre conviced me that old school technology is still hard to beat for musicality, which got me looking to the big disk again.

[drphoto]

Ok, the deck arrived today via UPS without a scratch. The ad said it was lightly used. Nope....it was brand new, never opened!

While it does have fixed leads, they are nice and sturdy looking and have RCA's that are very similar to WBT's, not some generic plastic plug. Very attractive unit, though it is far slimmer in person than it appers in photos.

Well, one thing I quickly learned is that it's a pain to install a cartridge in a fixed headshell arm. Got that done and hopefully got everything at least in the ballpark using the Shure VTF gauge and the Rega provided protractor.

The only physical problem I've noticed is the cueing mechanism doesn't go up high enough to actually lift the arm. There is a little set screw on the cross bar that connects it to the piston. Maybe the thing can be slid upward. Any Rega owners seen this? The piston does go up and down, but not much. Maybe some oil leaked out in shipping?

Ok, fired it up. Some light hissing from the mains, most likely my tube phono stage, which I did not notice w/ the Thorens. More worrisome is low end rumbly sort of noise. (not 60hz hum)

Because this is a non suspended table, I think I'm gonna have to look into a different sort of isolation. I've got it sitting on an iso platform I acquired years ago. (it was just called The Platform.....dunno who made it or how it's constructed. 16"x19"x.75" but weighs around 30lb. Must have a core of lead. Feet are 4 x 1/4-20 nylon screws that allow leveling. This is sitting on a DIY flexi, which is yep on commercial carpet over wood floor. Not ideal, I know.

If you tap on the dust cover or plinth, you can hear thumping through the speakers.

Oh....what's the verdict on dust covers? Leave on while playing as Rega suggest or remove as people told me years ago, because they resonate?

Well I tried a track from Ben Harper "Live from Mars". Wow, mids sound very smooth. Just voice and guitar. I'm impressed.

 So I put on the 180g Dark Side of the Moon, track "Money" (seemed appropriate for new purchase!) Bottom end sounded  exessive, so I just turned off the subs, rather than adjusting the settings. More balanced now. Overall? Pleasing, but not not some giant leap forward.

Much warmer sound than the Thorens and my digital rig, but that is what I wanted.

I know much fiddling will be required, but I think I'm going to like this. I can't say I'm blown away, but I know I should not expect to be, until things are dialed in properly.

I've learned you can't make snap decisions until everything is in place. I really liked my GR OB subs but didn't get the full measure of them until I built the proper baffle and got the wiring correct.

My initial impression is it may be great for singer/songwriter stuff and jazz, but leave the rock duties to digital. But that's probably because of the isolation/suspension issue.

But for now, it seems like progress.

Sorry for the rambling.

[Sonny]

The Dynavector 10x5 is a fantastic match on that table.  My Rega dealer uses it as his benchmark with that deck and the P5.

Yep, I had an older P3 and had a 10x4 on it, loved it!!!!
But, upgrade and here I am with a VPI TNT, JMW 10.5i arm, classic platter and....Shelter 901!