Guth
New Member
Bogdan AH, such behavior can be attributed to a number of different factors. I experienced a very similar issue in the past with my old Linn Basik turntable when I was using a Grado Gold cartridge. The problem was just as described, as the tonearm/cartridge neared the end of the record, there was an increasingly notable amount of hum present. As it turned out, the cartridge was not sufficiently shielded and as it came closer to the turntable motor, the resultant humming would increase. I solved the problem by changing the cartridge out for a Linn Adikt. That remains of of the best audio upgrade experiences of all time for me in terms of the overall level of satisfaction provided. The Adikt really opened my eyes as to what a difference a change in cartridges can make. Since the Linn, I have owned a Rega RP3 on which I used two different Dynavector DV10x5 cartridges, neither of which presented any problems. I'm currently using a Rega Planar 6 with Rega's own Ania cartridge. This combo also performs wonderfully, without issue.
The biggest disappointment about your story in my mind is the way the dealer handled the situation, or rather failed to handle the situation. I consider their treatment of you and the problem you experienced to be unacceptable. Yes, it's good the they returned your money, but they did nothing to actually address the problem at hand. I did some research on this topic back when I was experiencing similar issues and I know that this problem is not terribly uncommon. Any audio dealer should be familiar with such issues and if they are at all worth their salt they should be able to come up with a way to help troubleshoot and rectify the problem — rather than simply returning your money. Ultimately you're probably better off finding another dealer that is interested not only in your immediate business, but also in your enjoyment of music playback and your continued business.
In the case of Rega turntables, they elect to shield their cables, as opposed to providing a separate ground cable. This leaves the door open to a couple of different possibilities for such behavior. But note that this is not to say that a separate ground cable is foolproof either as illustrated by the behavior I experienced with my Linn turntable. In the case of the Rega you purchased, there could have been a faulty, or partially faulty, shielding connection at either the tonearm or plug end. In such cases, I suppose that this could make the hum more readily apparent when the turntable is hooked up to certain amplifiers. It could have been more of an intermittent problem that was possibly eliminated by the way the dealer manipulated the cables when plugging them into the amplifier. There's really no telling now and that's a shame.
If you really liked what the Rega turntable did with the music aside from the hum issue then you could opt to work with an online retailer that has excellent return policies. But it is hard to beat the benefits of having a really good local dealer. As much as I have enjoyed the Rega turntables that I've owned, I'm not sure that I would put up with a crappy dealer just to continue my use of Rega turntables. In addition, I own a pair of Rega RX3 speakers, so I'm a bit more invested in the Rega brand than many others. But as much as I like the Rega gear that I own, I also realize that there are plenty of other great products available these days from a large variety of different brands. Rega might not represent the most upscale of choices, but they typically do a very good job of providing a lot of bang for the buck. I wish you the best of luck getting things figured out.
The biggest disappointment about your story in my mind is the way the dealer handled the situation, or rather failed to handle the situation. I consider their treatment of you and the problem you experienced to be unacceptable. Yes, it's good the they returned your money, but they did nothing to actually address the problem at hand. I did some research on this topic back when I was experiencing similar issues and I know that this problem is not terribly uncommon. Any audio dealer should be familiar with such issues and if they are at all worth their salt they should be able to come up with a way to help troubleshoot and rectify the problem — rather than simply returning your money. Ultimately you're probably better off finding another dealer that is interested not only in your immediate business, but also in your enjoyment of music playback and your continued business.
In the case of Rega turntables, they elect to shield their cables, as opposed to providing a separate ground cable. This leaves the door open to a couple of different possibilities for such behavior. But note that this is not to say that a separate ground cable is foolproof either as illustrated by the behavior I experienced with my Linn turntable. In the case of the Rega you purchased, there could have been a faulty, or partially faulty, shielding connection at either the tonearm or plug end. In such cases, I suppose that this could make the hum more readily apparent when the turntable is hooked up to certain amplifiers. It could have been more of an intermittent problem that was possibly eliminated by the way the dealer manipulated the cables when plugging them into the amplifier. There's really no telling now and that's a shame.
If you really liked what the Rega turntable did with the music aside from the hum issue then you could opt to work with an online retailer that has excellent return policies. But it is hard to beat the benefits of having a really good local dealer. As much as I have enjoyed the Rega turntables that I've owned, I'm not sure that I would put up with a crappy dealer just to continue my use of Rega turntables. In addition, I own a pair of Rega RX3 speakers, so I'm a bit more invested in the Rega brand than many others. But as much as I like the Rega gear that I own, I also realize that there are plenty of other great products available these days from a large variety of different brands. Rega might not represent the most upscale of choices, but they typically do a very good job of providing a lot of bang for the buck. I wish you the best of luck getting things figured out.
