Rega Owner's Thread

[mike_p]

Anyone rewire their RB 303?

I scored an RP6, and am thinking of getting the Pete Riggle VTAF mod and mounting an NOS Stanton 881 w/D81 stereohedron stylus on the RB 303 arm.

What say you, the great mass of unrepentent AK Rega-lovers, about whether an arm rewire (Incognito or otherwise) is worth the dough?

Many thanks in advance!

M

 

[davidro]

I think it's worthwhile once you've got an end-game cartridge for you. Then again, I haven't taken the plunge because I'd want silver rewiring which is a little more expensive than I'm willing to shell ATM.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk 2

 

[miner]

I do miss my P7 but am more than pleased with the P9. The power supply alone is the same chassis as Rega's amplifiers.

I replaced my P9 with is beauty.....

 

[bonzoro]

I'm in the midst of building an RP6/RP8 clone with an acrylic plinth from Michael Lim, a new Rega 24V motor kit, TT-PSU, Tango Subplatter, Ceramic Peek bearing housing and bearing and after reading the thread for favorite tonearms, which Rega didn't fare all that well, I'd like your recommendations as to what I should use on my build which will fit without a bunch of hacking. The Rega RB303 was my choice (have not bought an arm yet) but am open to other ideas. I don't have a huge budget for the arm and was thinking of spending around $500-$600 for just the arm, or I could go cheaper and save for something a little more expensive. Ideas? Thanks

 

[stonedeaf]

Origin Live Alliance

The Alliance arm from Origin Live is very nice - have one on my Sony DD and installed another on a SOTA vacuum sapphire for a buddy -I have a lot of respect for the Rega arms - but the lack of a fine adjustment for VTA/pivot height on the new Rega arms leaves me cold.

 

[Wes_in_VA]

I'm awfully happy with the audioquest pt6 on my hottodded planar 2. I'd think a pt9 would be in your price range used and I'd guess that combo would be killer.

 

[manyhobbies]

I've had my RP6 now for about 7 months. I'm running it with the Rega Fono MKII preamp, and Kimber Hero interconnects into my NAD 375 Bee. So far I have added the upgrade white belt, and the Rega adjustable VTA spacer. I can also recommend the 3M damping kit by Audio additives that Music Direct sells. I did actually notice an improvement in fine detail, and a quieter background right away after installing the kit. My latest addition is an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. I only have a couple hours on it and already it has left me speechless. After owning the Bronze I can say that anyone who can stretch their budget to the Black should definitely do so. It's well worth the extra money. The comparison videos on the net don't even come close to revealing the difference between the two. The 2M Black is absolutely amazing. I'm running mine with the Rega spacer in the 2mm position, and it seems to put the top of the cartridge dead level, or ever so slightly tail high when looking at it with a bright light and an index card.

 

[steelgtr]

Rega Carbon RP1: Cartridge Advise

My BIL just bought one and it sounds very flat and lifeless; bassy and no sparkle. He has B&W CM1 speakers and a Carver separates. Even bought a $400 tube phono stage. We tried a Pioneer Rx, same flat sound. Could it be the stock cartridge? Any upgrade ideas if that is the problem?

thx

bob

 

[pingpongcomp]

I got a p25/rb300/sae1000e last month and moved to a new house. I've finally had a chance to set it up and have some quality listening time. It's a great improvement over my old table, a dual 701/V15iii. I've always enjoyed the ritual of vinyl compared to digital, but I finally enjoy the sound more as well. I put a white belt on it, the old belt was starting to sag, so I couldn't really do a comparison. I've only been able to get it perfectly level with some paper shims under the back foot, is there a better way? As far as upgrades, I'm considering sending the arm to origin live or audio origami, or getting the 24v motor and tangospinner subplatter/pulley - maybe both eventually, not sure which to do first. Recommendations?

 

[Grbluen]

I got a p25/rb300/sae1000e last month and moved to a new house. I've finally had a chance to set it up and have some quality listening time. It's a great improvement over my old table, a dual 701/V15iii. I've always enjoyed the ritual of vinyl compared to digital, but I finally enjoy the sound more as well. I put a white belt on it, the old belt was starting to sag, so I couldn't really do a comparison. I've only been able to get it perfectly level with some paper shims under the back foot, is there a better way? As far as upgrades, I'm considering sending the arm to origin live or audio origami, or getting the 24v motor and tangospinner subplatter/pulley - maybe both eventually, not sure which to do first. Recommendations?

Don't own a Rega, but I'd suggest living with the table for awhile before starting with the upgrades. Try to identify any deficiencies so that you can make better choices. It's becoming a catch phrase around here, but changing the sound is easy, making it better not so much.

 

[zacster]

I got a p25/rb300/sae1000e last month and moved to a new house. I've finally had a chance to set it up and have some quality listening time. It's a great improvement over my old table, a dual 701/V15iii. I've always enjoyed the ritual of vinyl compared to digital, but I finally enjoy the sound more as well. I put a white belt on it, the old belt was starting to sag, so I couldn't really do a comparison. I've only been able to get it perfectly level with some paper shims under the back foot, is there a better way? As far as upgrades, I'm considering sending the arm to origin live or audio origami, or getting the 24v motor and tangospinner subplatter/pulley - maybe both eventually, not sure which to do first. Recommendations?

I did the Tangospinner sub/pulley upgrade on my old Planar 3 and it made a big difference. It is probably the cheapest of the mods, and easy to do, so I would do it first, as I did. The pulley came off my motor with a hard tug, but I've heard that it can be difficult. I'm on the fence about the 24v motor, but maybe in the next few months I'll try that. I don't have a Rega arm, so I won't ever be doing that, although there are probably tweaks for my Grace 707 arm that I could try.

 

[pingpongcomp]

Don't own a Rega, but I'd suggest living with the table for awhile before starting with the upgrades. Try to identify any deficiencies so that you can make better choices. It's becoming a catch phrase around here, but changing the sound is easy, making it better not so much.

I did the Tangospinner sub/pulley upgrade on my old Planar 3 and it made a big difference. It is probably the cheapest of the mods, and easy to do, so I would do it first, as I did. The pulley came off my motor with a hard tug, but I've heard that it can be difficult. I'm on the fence about the 24v motor, but maybe in the next few months I'll try that. I don't have a Rega arm, so I won't ever be doing that, although there are probably tweaks for my Grace 707 arm that I could try.

Thanks for both tips. There do seem to be small speed changes that can occasionally be heard on sustained notes, and a little harshness in the high end on especially bright albums. Very happy with it as is though, I'll keep listening for a while.

 

[RobHolt]

I've run and enjoyed several Planars over the years, including a couple of Planar 3s and a P9 for several years.

These days I run the Planar 25 as the main table. I like the Rega TT philosophy of low mass, high rigidity, low energy storage and fast decay of resonance. Everything in a Rega table is geared to achieving these goals.

I don't however use a Rega arm and my (stock - I like the Rega tables stock) Planar 25 carries a Mission 774. This arm was designed with many of the same priorities in mind and the pairing works extremely well, to the point that the sonics matche a P9 IMO.


P25

IMG_2146

 

[james73_2010]

I got a p25/rb300/sae1000e last month and moved to a new house. I've finally had a chance to set it up and have some quality listening time. It's a great improvement over my old table, a dual 701/V15iii. I've always enjoyed the ritual of vinyl compared to digital, but I finally enjoy the sound more as well. I put a white belt on it, the old belt was starting to sag, so I couldn't really do a comparison. I've only been able to get it perfectly level with some paper shims under the back foot, is there a better way? As far as upgrades, I'm considering sending the arm to origin live or audio origami, or getting the 24v motor and tangospinner subplatter/pulley - maybe both eventually, not sure which to do first. Recommendations?

I've made a number of upgrades (as per the list below) though not all at once. I would never go back
to things like the stock sub-platter nor to the stock Rega arm counterweight. The OL DC-Motor Kit
has been very unreliable over the years, that was until about two years ago when I upgraded the PCB
and added the AC-AC PSU. It's been pretty stable since then, though I still kinda have my eye on the
Rega 24V Motor Kit as I have a Pro-Ject Speed Box SE that I can use with it to make minor speed
adjustments to the Rega AC Motor. The Michael Lim Motor Isolation Base is the latest thing I bought
and it has made another significant improvement.

• Rega Planar 3, purchased c.1996
• Audio Origami RB250 & Michell Technoweight
• PEEK Sleeve & Ceramic Bearing
• Groovetracer Reference Sub-Platter & White Delrin Platter
• Flat Belt 338mm (13.3in) from http://www.turntablebasics.com
• Origin Live DC-Kit (Mk12 PCB) Control Box / Premotec 9904-120-1805 3W Motor / Maplin 3.2A AC-9V AC L53BR PSU
• Michael Lim Motor Isolation Base
• Only the plinth & lid are original parts!

James H

 

[Wes_in_VA]

I've made a number of upgrades (as per the list below) though not all at once. I would never go back
to things like the stock sub-platter nor to the stock Rega arm counterweight. The OL DC-Motor Kit
has been very unreliable over the years, that was until about two years ago when I upgraded the PCB
and added the AC-AC PSU. It's been pretty stable since then, though I still kinda have my eye on the
Rega 24V Motor Kit as I have a Pro-Ject Speed Box SE that I can use with it to make minor speed
adjustments to the Rega AC Motor. The Michael Lim Motor Isolation Base is the latest thing I bought
and it has made another significant improvement.

• Rega Planar 3, purchased c.1996
• Audio Origami RB250 & Michell Technoweight
• PEEK Sleeve & Ceramic Bearing
• Groovetracer Reference Sub-Platter & White Delrin Platter
• Flat Belt 338mm (13.3in) from http://www.turntablebasics.com
• Origin Live DC-Kit (Mk12 PCB) Control Box / Premotec 9904-120-1805 3W Motor / Maplin 3.2A AC-9V AC L53BR PSU
• Michael Lim Motor Isolation Base
• Only the plinth & lid are original parts!

James H

Post a pic of that puppy! I'd love to see it.
I've done many of the same (or similar at least) upgrades to my Planar 2.
How long have you had the PEEK bearing? Are you happy with it?

 

[2526]

I bought a Groovetracer Reference subplatter last week for my P25. I am astounded at the improvements that I am hearing. Those rave reviews are spot on as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Wes_in_VA]

I'm using Michael Lim's subplatter, acrylic platter and motor isolation base. Tangospinner belt.
That combination has been fantastic to put together. The isolation base was the biggest improvement, though, at least to my ears.

 

[james73_2010]

Post a pic of that puppy! I'd love to see it.
I've done many of the same (or similar at least) upgrades to my Planar 2.
How long have you had the PEEK bearing? Are you happy with it?

I've had the PEEK Bearing Sleeve since around April this year. I'm happy with it although I freely admit I havent done direct
comparisons as doing so is a bit of a pain in the arse. There seems to be improved detail especially in the lower frequencies.

One note of caution - when I first fitted it, the Groovetracer Sub Platter wouldn't sink into the PEEK Sleeve as it should. I determined
the problem to be the actual spindle hole in the plinth was a bit too tight. So I rubbed the inside of the spindle hole down slightly
with a piece of fine sandpaper until the PEEK Sleeve dropped in easier. The Sub Platter then dropped down slowly into the sleeve
as it should. Job done.

My deck also sits on a custom made wooden frame that has adjustable legs.

This is the Michael Lim Motor Isolation Base as I was fitting it. He designed it for the Rega Premotec Motors so I had to change
some of the parts used in it to fit it to my deck, namely the hex spacers. The GT Ref Sub Platter can be seen in the background.

This is the motor in position via the Michael Lim Isolation Base. The black bolts are loosely finger screwed into the top hex spacers
to simply act as placeholders - I can tell by their position when the motor is in the right place, they dont even touch the holes in
the plinth. The increased hole in the plinth is the result of the Origin Live motor kit not functioning as it should've in the past - I had
to increase the hole and force the position of the motor back as far as I could in order to get it to run slow enough. As I mentioned
already, the kit has worked fine for the last two years.

And, for the last few years I've been using the AT450E cartridge I bought back in 1993. I have a variety of stylii to use with it, and
there's still quite a few more I've got to try and get my hands on yet...

James H

 

[zackk]

I have gotten a lot of new stuff for my Rega Planar 2 recently!

The newest is the Rega TTPSU and a Dynavector 10x5 with a new Soundsmith Ruby cantilever and retip!

Also, I put on Tangospinner feet, and before that I got the Tangospinner machined subplatter, pulley, bearing, and belts!
I got the Groovetracer Delrin platter a few weeks ago.
Obviously it has the upgraded motor so I could use the TTPSU.

Oh also a new clear dustcover which I took off when I play it.


Anyway here is a (blurry) picture!

 

[chaz]

Posted these in the 'What TT do you guys have' thread, but I figured I'd put 'em here as well.
My absolutely stock Planar 3.
I recently unearthed my Elys cart. packed away in a box in the basement. I thought it was lost to history.
Nice to have it back.