Rega P5 discounted

I just ordered the Groovetracer 150g counterweight. If nothing else if will let me close the lid on my RP3 without fear while playing records. The large diameter of the OEM counterweight and the fact I have a 2 mm spacer only leaves about 1 mm clearance.

Since I have a 9+ g cartridge the OEM counterweight is barely hanging on to the end of the stub. The Groovetracer should get back closer to the pivot and improve tonearm dynamics.

 

Several people expressed interested in our cherry P5, it's still here and available (and at a lower price than MD - $950 shipped continental US/$975 to Canada)...

Store demo unit, full warranty, less than five hours of playing time.

 

It's funny how Needledoctor is still selling the RB700 arm for $900...

 

Thanks for the observation Sushi. Since you have both the 1200 and the Rega 3 set up I'll be curious about your future listening and findings between the two. The 1200 motor does run quiet. About 6 months ago I changed from Rega to Technics, like the sound and it's even easier to use, and the pitch control is a nice function to have.

 

hey there reeler

forum member "81828384" recently bought a P3-24 with TT PSU from musicdirect. He also owns a 1200. You can read about his impression here.

With all the mods, I'm really digging the sound of the Rega RP3.
I wasn't so impressed with its sound without the external Power Supply and Groove Tracer sub platter. So I think these two are absolutely necessary before you start hearing the analog 'magic'. Now that I have it mostly dialed in, I can hear that is sounds more resolving 'better' than my digital rig consisting of Flac file>Squeezebox>Neko Dac. However, I still like and enjoy my digital rig a lot.
It's still more convenient than cleaning, flipping LP's for those lazy days.

Stock for stock, the 1200 has the Rega beat in the areas of pitch stability, functionality, and build quality of the motor and base. While the Rega has the better arm, and so therefore extracts better resolution from the cartridge. I suspect that if you slap a RB300 arm on the 1200, and if you add the external PSU to a stock Rega RP3 or P3-24, both tables will sound very similar in performance, and it would be a mute point to argue which is the better table.

I also think that a RCM increases the quality/performance of the overall sound just as much as upgrading a tonearm, cartridge, turntable etc.

 

I'm hoping that once I figure out what sound card to get (leaning towards EMU 1212M), that I can posts some needle drop samples of some of my LP's played on my 1200 M5G (bone stock) and then on my Rega RP3, so that you guys can A-B them. And also sample before cleaning on my RCM, and after cleaning on the RCM. anyways, back to the topic of the P5.

 

Any opinions if moving to a P5 with TT PSU is at best a sideways move from my VPI scout. I've been tempted to switch to one of these Rega's.

thanks

 

Not a chance. I've owned many Regas and moved on to VPI. Stick with VPI. Far better value for money, even. No currency conversion working against you, nor a middle man distributer.

 

Many folks prefer the Rega. The Scout sold a lot of decks due to it being the least expensive VPI but it is as well received among the VPI fans as their other units. The P5 is really hard to fault at its price.
-Bill

 

Hey, curious as to where the VPI might be lacking for you to consider the change. I've heard owners claim the Scout is amazing in seperation and imaging but perhaps a little dark. Your thoughts on the likes and dislikes of your Scout?

 

Not to hijack, but I'm actually pondering the reverse; moving from a P5 to a VPI Classic. Can anyone chime in on the comparison if they've experienced it?

 

The Classic is a heavier table and it sounds like it. It has a solid and weightier sound to it, The Rega sounds faster and more dynamic. Some folks say the VPI are dynamic but I always hear them as softer.

I just set-up a Classic with a new cartridge a short while ago. The unipivot arm is a huge PITA to work with. They finally came up with some sort of an anti-skating device but it isn't done any favors by the arm either. To be fair, the table sounds very good and is a bit smaller than the TNT with flywheel set-up that we had here a while back. That thing was enormous and just as irritating to set-up.

The Rega is a breeze to set-up and operate by comparison. They stay that way too. Even though the VPI is heavy, its arm can get excited and wobble with movement, where the Rega is rock solid. A unipivot is sort of like a suspension for a tone arm and can bounce just as a tables suspension. Both arms have very low friction and offer great tracking from great cartridges. Both work very well with the Dynavectors for instance. You'll get more bite out of the Classic with a high end Ortofon though. Definitely better than the Scout.
-Bill

 

Thank you for the response, KT88. I did hear a Scoutmaster when auditioning my Rega and I agree that it had a softer presentation than the Rega. However, one thing I did admire was the much grander soundstage. Would you say that the aluminum platter on the Classic adds some of the dynamics and speed that the acrylic platter on the Scoutmaster lacks?

I like all that you mentioned about the Rega on my P5 but feel that the width of the soundstage is rather lacking. I certainly know my speakers are capable of much more. Perhaps somewhere else in the chain?

 

The heavy aluminum platter on the Classic retains dynamics, rather than adds it. It's still a bit softer than dead neutral table perhaps due to its sheer mass and its unipivot arm. The acrylic platter on the Scout attenuates dynamics and stores energy resulting in a more "dead" sound.

Interesting observation on the soundstage. I can't say that I have clearly heard one table stand out more than the other in that regard, yet have experienced some differences also. I tend to get more or less soundstage with various tables, including the Rega tables, depending upon other factors, eliminating the table itself from that equation. The Lp itself can effect it as can the cartridge type and set-up, as well as amp and speaker choice, placement, etc. I have noticed changes without moving speakers (to my knowledge) at the house from one session to another. I don't recall what the difference was but the table and cartridge had been the same there on one occasion that baffled me. I remember playing a Stones record or some blues record and feeling that the soundstage was huge and I was really drawn into the sound. When I played the same record a few weeks later, it sounded closed-in and lacked that 3D feel that I got before. Maybe it was the roses?
-Bill

 

To be honest - it's my first table as I'm back into vinyl within the last year, so I don't really have a good reference point -
Nothing is really bad at all - very detailed etc. I was just curious about the Rega house sound and wondered if the bass might be a tad fuller. I personally think it would probably be a lateral move - not for better or worse, but I've also heard that a P5 or higher with speed controller can sometimes be "better" than a Scout wout speed controller.


I could do a swap for kinda even money..... not urgent to switch by any means.
I probably need to upgrade the phono stage first without a doubt - I have the inexpensive Vincent (single chassis) was thinking about the usual suspects below $1000 (Phenomena II, PS Audio, Dynavector 75 etc)

 

At the current price it's not hard to see why. But at full freight with TT-PSU I tend to strongly prefer the Scout. But of course, that's not the current market situation. I do feel VPIs are better built, across the board, and I don't think the unipivot is as much a PITA as it simply takes some getting used to.

 

After doing some experimenting, I changed the load settings on my Nova Phonomena. I went from 121 to 280 ohms. Really woke things up. I'm getting a much livelier sound with better top end clarity. As a result, the soundstage has also improved in quality. Perhaps I should add the psu to takes up another notch.

 

Talked with a local shop yesterday about the "RP5". Their take is that there will not be one. Instead, there will be upgrades offered by Rega for the RP3 (mentioned around here before) and the 5 will disappear from the lineup.

Big gap IMO from the 3 to the 7, especially from a cost perspective. Any thoughts on this? Keep in mind that the US importer is local to Dallas as well...for what that's worth.

 

If that were the case, the P5 would not be discounted. There would be no need to sell out current stock quickly. This is usually a sign that a replacement is in the plan.

 

Very true...and they offered a deal on their stock of P5s as well. I wish I hadn't been too late on the nice all black P25 on A'gon today.

 

On a British forum it's been said that there is an RP5 on the way, with a "new platter".