First turntable purchase advice please

Hi Khan,

If I was starting the record player game again with the sort of provisos you mention, I would unquestionably go for a Rega RP6, bundled Rega cartridge, Rega Fono phonostage and an interconnect taking the signal from that to your NAC82. If there was the slightest doubt about the solidity of the floor, I would get a Rega wall shelf too. Otherwise IKEA Lack table or similar.

I'm hoping not to have spent much more than a grand of your cash but I may be a bit out of touch with prices.

Cheers, Chris

I was going to get an rp6 in order to get me back into it but decided to jump straight in and go for a used Michell Gyro. I'm very happy with it. I thought about an LP12 but they just sound too much like hard work.  

I have a Rega P3, which I have had for around 12 years.  I dont find the sound lean,however if I were buying again today I  would seriously look at Project turntables before I made my mind up.

Yes but Drewy, you talk of getting 'back into' records while Khan gives the impression of being a vinyl newbie and errring towards plug and play. Hence the Rega RP6 package seems good, minimal faff.

He can faff to his heart's content later, if the vinyl bug bites big time.

C.

Buying a new LP12 is really no "work" at all as the dealer will set it up properly for you and you are off to the races. Now if you are building one from used parts, that will be just as "hard" as building up a Gyro from used parts no? In both cases, I would enlist the help of a specialist to refurbish/set-up/tune the SH desk.

The Regas are  a bit more straightforward and easier to tackle for most of us. The cartridge still needs to be installed though in any decks above a RP1 iirc. I agree that the Rega RP6 would be a great start in vinyl playback. Good luck and enoy your vinyl!

ATB,

Mark

Christopher_M posted:

Yes but Drewy, you talk of getting 'back into' records while Khan gives the impression of being a vinyl newbie and errring towards plug and play. Hence the Rega RP6 package seems good, minimal faff.

He can faff to his heart's content later, if the vinyl bug bites big time.

C.

varyat posted:

Buying a new LP12 is really no "work" at all as the dealer will set it up properly for you and you are off to the races. Now if you are building one from used parts, that will be just as "hard" as building up a Gyro from used parts no? In both cases, I would enlist the help of a specialist to refurbish/set-up/tune the SH desk.

The Regas are  a bit more straightforward and easier to tackle for most of us. The cartridge still needs to be installed though in any decks above a RP1 iirc. I agree that the Rega RP6 would be a great start in vinyl playback. Good luck and enoy your vinyl!

ATB,

Mark

Both points taken. I have no experience with an lp12 but was put off them by everyone going on about servicing them and having them set up by a dealer. I don't want to have to get a dealer to put me a turntable in.

A gyro is very easy to set up, the only bit I had to research on was how to get it to bounce nicely. Also judging by the rest of the guy's system I reckon he'll love vinyl and it looks like he might have a sizeable budget.

Anyway that's what I did and I don't regret it one bit.

Thanks for your input guys. Yes I am indeed a complete newbie. How would you compare the sound of the turntables suggested. Rega RP6 seems to be like the obvious choice. But compared to say a Rega RP8, Linn Sondek LP12 setup by a dealer or say a Michel Gyro se?

That's the tricky bit. It's hard to compare. Depends on so much like what arms etc etc. I suppose different Rega models are easier to compare as you're more likely to find them at one dealer??

I had an LP12 for about 20 odd years then finely sold it after spending substantial sums on upgrades over the years in part because it became almost impossible to but new stuff on vinyl, but that has all changed now

. About 4 years ago I started to get back into vinyl and picked up a cheap S/H Rega RP3 I kept that about 2 years before wanting something a bit more revealing, I'm now running a Michell Gyro SE upgrades are pretty straightforward and not too costly all in all I am really enjoying this TT although I have ended up upgrading my phono stage also and then there's the interconnect , like all hifi you can take it far as you want to go or just be happy keeping it simple. Good luck on your vinyl journey, it can become addictive and highly enjoyable at the same time, but that goes with the territory as you will already be well aware of.

ATB

Rob

staffy posted:

I have a Rega P3, which I have had for around 12 years.  I dont find the sound lean,however if I were buying again today I  would seriously look at Project turntables before I made my mind up.

Really? That would be like saying " I love my Porsche but if I had to buy another car I'd go for a VW". 

By the way, have you bought yourself a proper RCM yet?

I can say the Michell has a very open transparent and fast presentation, I can`t speak for all the Rega`s as I've not listened to all of them, the LP 12 is dependent on so many variables but it can be an amazing TT with the right setup, but you can end up spending large sums of money on it and that is what stopped me getting another one, your best bet is to try to demo a few to get an idea of what works best for you.

If convenience and easy set up is a key factor, ClearAudio's decks are well worth looking at. Beautifully built too and obviously sound great. I have the Concept MC in Wood and it looks great and sounds great too  Re phono stage, try the Rothwell Rialto. 

I could spend a fortune on a deck, but I am reluctant because it's not the centre of my listening habit, but I do love to play an LP from time to time, and this latest kit running into my SuperUniti does sound very good indeed. 

Khan, take it from me, unless you have an expert Linn LP12 dealer near you, avoid it. I love my LP12 (only, when it's on song!) but have to travel to get one of the very few 'competent' dealers to service it.

The fact that one experts name keeps cropping up again and again on Naim and Linn forums is no coincedence, at it's price-point it has become too much of a 'prima-donna'. Linn do not support this product properly with technical expertise.

If I was starting again I would go straight for the new Technics direct drive sl1200 (grand class, I think ) due to be launched very shortly. I have a Radikal LP12 currently and it's too much hassle to keep it on song, especially given it is 2016.

I am a vinyl fan & have an Linn LP12. However I think you should be cautious to begin with. Do try to get a demo of a couple of different makes to make sure you like the sound. Then I would aim lowish, which means plug and play, moving magnet cartridge and a cheapish MM phono stage. I would also buy something very mainstream that will hold its value so you can upgrade without too much loss if you get bitten by the bug. All that points to Rega for me.

clive

Cdb posted:

I am a vinyl fan & have an Linn LP12. However I think you should be cautious to begin with. Do try to get a demo of a couple of different makes to make sure you like the sound. Then I would aim lowish, which means plug and play, moving magnet cartridge and a cheapish MM phono stage. I would also buy something very mainstream that will hold its value so you can upgrade without too much loss if you get bitten by the bug. All that points to Rega for me.

clive

+1 

I have an LP12 on my  main system and a Rega P 3/24 on a second. Rega make solid, bullet proof TTs with decent arms. Stick an MM cartridge on it and off you go.  I Have had P2s, P3s in the past and they've never let me down. As starters, no brainer methinks! 

I have an RP6 which is great and will keep it for many years to come, but if I was buying today I would strongly consider the new Rega P3.

Hi Khan !

I know how you feel because I had the same problem 1year ago with a system similar (in quality)  to yours (NAC 252 + NAP 300 + NDX). Therefore I can explain some considerations and thoughts deriving from my experience so far:

1) listening to vinyl is so much fascinating but so much complicated and time consuming: buy the vinyl, catalogue the vinyl, wash the vinyl, turn the TT on, put the vinyl on, turn the vinyl side  ...... As some other human activities that require "hard work" it can be soooo rewarding: listening to an original 1963 recording of Ella Fitzgerald (that has some click and pops) with your beloved half accompanied with a good glass of red wine is simply priceless !

2) vinyl makes sense if:

a) you hear vinyls pressed from analog masters or from digital masters recorded expressly for vinyl reproduction. Nowadays vinyl is so popular that most of the times for cost and time reasons vinyls are pressed from "CD masters": the sound is just crap !

b) your HIFI chain for vinyl reproduction must be at least as good as the one you use for CD or Flac files reproduction to be really rewarding (remember: vinyl is hard work so pretend good SQ). In your case this would not mean small expenses; So "pull the trigger" only if you are prepared to "burn" some serious cash !

3) to build a rewarding Hifi chain for vinyl reproduction you need equilibrium in all the components: vinyl reproduction needs many components that have to work good together (cart, arm, TT, cables, preamp) and balance & synergy between all the components is the base of everything. If you are new to this world, a professional guide is fundamental.

So to sum up a long story short if I where you I would go for an LP12 because it's like Lego: different bricks (components) equal to different sound signatures and at least 1 combination will surely fit your taste ! Another advantage of the LP12 is a flourishing second hand market: this means, on the one hand, that if you are unsatisfied with 1 brick of your chain you can sell it to finance another brick and, on the other hand, you can find good second hand bricks with great savings ! Last advantage for you living in the UK is that you have some of the most regarded specialists in the entire world almost nearby (Peter of Cymbiosys is one of them). This specialists can give you a great advices and set up at your home a beautiful sounding system.

Hope that helped !

How does a LP12 go "off-song" ?

Really, I don't understand the mechanics of this. I read words to this effect over and over on various forums and scratch my head?

If the deck is set up properly it should not change with time unless it is moved about without any common sense I would think. I have two LP12's and play them on a regular basis through a fairly revealing system- nothing has changed since the day they were set up to my ears. Maybe it's just me but what is going off on all these decks??

ATB,

Mark

varyat posted:

How does a LP12 go "off-song" ?

Really, I don't understand the mechanics of this. I read words to this effect over and over on various forums and scratch my head?

If the deck is set up properly it should not change with time unless it is moved about without any common sense I would think. I have two LP12's and play them on a regular basis through a fairly revealing system- nothing has changed since the day they were set up to my ears. Maybe it's just me but what is going off on all these decks??

ATB,

Mark

I'm totally with you Mark I think that the story of the goblins destroying your LP12 during the night is just a tale: a professionally set up LP12 will give you a long time pleasure !

LP12's could be tricky divas in the past, but that hasn't been the case for a long time. As long as the dog doesn't get at 'em, and one doesn't have a feather-duster wielding maniac in the house, all should be well. My venerable Scottish Gramophone hasn't required any fettling for about 18 months.

All the Rega models are great at their price points as a 'fit and forget' option - the '8' and the '10' sounding particularly fine to me with the new Apheta 2 cartridge.

But of course, as with loudspeakers; turntables all sound different, so the individual must simply listen and choose.

John.

I have owned my LP12 for nearly 30 years. It was only last year that I did any major upgrading to it. I still love it. Before that I had a Rega Planar. It was a good TT for the money.

Earlier this week I was lucky to hear a pre-release version of the Rega Planar 3. It sounded very nice and will be available to buy next month.

there are of course other turntables but for me the choice is the new Rega or an LP12. As others have already said it is really down to how much you want to spend and your need for a vinyl front end. The LP12 is comparatively potentially very very pricey but is capable of making you fall in love with vinyl

Sorry forgot to mention that the new RP3 will retail around £500 in the UK although that is without a cartridge. An entry level LP12 is over £2000.

Belfast Taxman posted:

I have owned my LP12 for nearly 30 years. It was only last year that I did any major upgrading to it. I still love it. Before that I had a Rega Planar. It was a good TT for the money.

Earlier this week I was lucky to hear a pre-release version of the Rega Planar 3. It sounded very nice and will be available to buy next month.

there are of course other turntables but for me the choice is the new Rega or an LP12. As others have already said it is really down to how much you want to spend and your need for a vinyl front end. The LP12 is comparatively potentially very very pricey but is capable of making you fall in love with vinyl

...'ain't that the truth...

Khan you should aim high as you already have a Hugo.

The Hugo can easily trounce and walk all over many turntables, so you might end up unhappy with your purchase if it is too basic.

I have a number of visitors when they heard my Hugo and then my entry level TT invariably tell me to upgrade the turnable as it just can't keep up at all with the Hugo in any way.

By the way I highly recommend the DR upgrade for your 300.

Also how you connect your Hugo to your 82 is of major importance - please run and buy a RCA to DIN cable asap, if you haven't, preferably hi-line.