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Rega Planar 3 vs AR EB101 vs Rotel RP-850 vs SYSTEMDEK IIX

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spikee5

New Member
Hi guys, I’m planning to upgrade from my first turntable: an Ariston Q Deck with an Ortofon 10. After some research, I've compiled a shortlist of well-known turntables. I would like your input on which one you would choose and why. Additionally, if you could rank them in order of preference, that would be helpful.

Here are the turntables on my shortlist:
  1. Rega Planar 3
  2. Acoustic Research AR EB101 (I really like the aesthetics)
  3. Rotel RP-850 / RP-855
  4. SYSTEMDEK IIX / IIX900
Thanks for your help!
 
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There were two versions of EB101. One resembled an ES-1 but had a squared off plinth rather than the radiused sides and one had a round arm board, I believe.
 
I would choose the Systemdek and AR EB101 and then the Rega. The Rotel would be on the bottom of the list.

Ease of setup is the Rega. As the Systemdek and AR may require some adjustments to the suspension.

For longevity, the AR might have an edge due to some aftermarket parts. I don't know about Systemdek.

Your Ariston isn't a bad table either.
 
I’d go:

AR
Systemdek IIX
Rega

- and I’m not familiar with the Rotel

I like those AR’s quite a bit - always wanted one - may still get one, someday.

I have a Systemdek IIX and it sounds very good - but is very sensitive to footfall - a little dog can walk by and you may have tracking issues..

I had a Planar 3 for many years and it was reliable and capable - but not “exciting” - sound was always a bit boring to me, no matter what the cartridge. No suspension but no footfall issues, either. Finally sold the Rega when I played with other tables..

I have over a dozen interesting tables here but the most interesting (to me) on your list, is the AR, followed by the Systemdek.. Both of those are low torque belt drives, BTW - and I prefer tables with some torque, these days…. :)
 
spikee5 said:
Hi guys, I’m planning to upgrade from my first turntable: an Ariston Q Deck with an Ortofon 10. After some research, I've compiled a shortlist of well-known turntables. I would like your input on which one you would choose and why. Additionally, if you could rank them in order of preference, that would be helpful.

Here are the turntables on my shortlist:
  1. Rega Planar 3
  2. Acoustic Research AR EB101 (I really like the aesthetics)
  3. Rotel RP-850 / RP-855
  4. SYSTEMDEK IIX / IIX900
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

If the consideration is about sound quality then one first needs to take a look at the installed tonearms. And using this metric my ranking would be:

1. Rega Planar 3 and (very closely) Systemdek IX900, probably the Systemdek is the better turntable but the Rega Planar 3 will have the latest iteration of the RB3xx tonearm.

(long distance and then...)

2. Rotel

3. AR EB101

As mentioned by @MisterDK , all of them are low-torque belt-drive tables, thus my choice would be decided by the tonearm mostly. Rega turntables i consider as turntables where 80% of the manufacturing cost goes to the tonearm and 20% to the turntable. Which is not a bad idea, IMO.
 
You know, I’ll take back what I wrote about the AR eb101 - I thought it was one of the better, earlier models - it’s not the one I’d be wanting..

Still, as decently made as the Rega arm can be, I have no regret in selling of my old Planar 3, I still prefer my Systemdek. It has a S bend arm from Jelco on it and is a capable, good sounding deck. You can change the arm board to accept others, if you prefer - even adding a Rega arm.. :)
 
I'd be fine with the AR EB-101, as long as it's the one with the armboard, and is in excellent condition. Then you'll have a good basis for improvements while enjoying the ride. The Jelco derived arm is good enough. Other arms will improve it. Vinyl Nirvana and GEM Dandy Products provide aftermarket support. I own the AR "The Turntable" which replaced my excellent AR XB. I wouldn't go back. Which bearing is in the TT is pertinent. Later '85 era ARs improved the bearing over mine. Well worth it to find. Otherwise Pete's over on eBay has replacement Delrin bearing parts. The Systemdek IIX is an excellent table, but not as well supported. Not a Rega fan, and would prefer your Ariston deck over the Rotel. JMO, YMMV
 
The AR EB101 with the non-existent armboard is a decent table as is. It just harder to modify. The arm is a decent arm of the era, probably similar to the one on the Rotel. Japanese made, mid to lower mass arm.

I would say everything is price and condition dependant.
 
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flavio81 said:
If the consideration is about sound quality then one first needs to take a look at the installed tonearms. And using this metric my ranking would be:



1. Rega Planar 3 and (very closely) Systemdek IX900, probably the Systemdek is the better turntable but the Rega Planar 3 will have the latest iteration of the RB3xx tonearm.



(long distance and then...)



2. Rotel



3. AR EB101



As mentioned by @MisterDK , all of them are low-torque belt-drive tables, thus my choice would be decided by the tonearm mostly. Rega turntables i consider as turntables where 80% of the manufacturing cost goes to the tonearm and 20% to the turntable. Which is not a bad idea, IMO.
Click to expand...

The Systemdek has,way lower wow and flutter than the Rega. The Systemdek back in the day competed with the Sondek, a Rega does not and never will, even the Top model does not.
Chris
 
Reading a bit more into the other tables, mostly at the Rotel. I think all will be pretty good choices. But, the Systemdek would still be my first choice.
 
I owned a IIX with a Linn arm for a long time. It sounded super nice, would have to think about what carts I ran with it.
Long forgotten Aperture Koce was one, Dynavector 10x4 MkII, was another.

Very musical table, with lots of the right stuff goin' on.

Yes the footfalls drove me nuts - so I mounted it to a wall with a Target wall mount; solved the footfall issue...
Was worried about finding spares....

Come to think of it, I owned a Systemdek II <--the biscuit tin deck, as well.
Liked the IIX better, it was black with a dark smoke dustcover.

The IIX goes on that list of "I shoulda never sold that one."
 
Hi, thanks for all your advice!
I've decided to go with the Systemdek. However, in the UK, it seems to be nearly double the price compared to the AR EB101. I'll still keep an eye out for a good deal on the Systemdek, as I believe it's worth the investment.
Are there any specific arms I should be looking for? IIX or IIX900?

Cheers!
 
Target wall shelf with Systemdek IIX.jpg
MisterDK said:
I’d go:

AR
Systemdek IIX
Rega

- and I’m not familiar with the Rotel

I like those AR’s quite a bit - always wanted one - may still get one, someday.

I have a Systemdek IIX and it sounds very good - but is very sensitive to footfall - a little dog can walk by and you may have tracking issues..

I had a Planar 3 for many years and it was reliable and capable - but not “exciting” - sound was always a bit boring to me, no matter what the cartridge. No suspension but no footfall issues, either. Finally sold the Rega when I played with other tables..

I have over a dozen interesting tables here but the most interesting (to me) on your list, is the AR, followed by the Systemdek.. Both of those are low torque belt drives, BTW - and I prefer tables with some torque, these days…. :)
Click to expand...
A wall mount shelf like the old, robust Target and a few of the new, similar (but less robust) units that are available will solve your footfall problem with the Systemdek (and any other deck affected similarly).
 
+1 for the Sdek IIX, i had a mildly modded one with Linn Akito2 that i ran along side a WT Simplex 1. it took a Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0 to bring it up to the level of the Well Tempered, and was a super nice, slightly euphonic alternative to the more neutral WT. I'd own another for sure. brilliant design
 
@tuberadios69 Wow, that pic looks like the table I had, and mounted with the same Target Wall mount --
I still have the wall mount, and was just upstairs and saw it.
I remember there were little rubber grommet type things that went over the holes where the fasteners went through the target and mounted it to the wall...
I was really worried about losing those when I moved -- 13 plus years ago -- and either I lost them, or they are hiding...

Now I remember what arm I had, a Linn Basic Plus.

Super cool -- :biggrin:
 
I've owned 3 from your list except the Systemdek and Rotel RP-850) and still have a circa 1994 Planar 3 and AR-EB-101. Firstly , of the turntables you mentioned , it's pretty much a straight split between the fixed plinth approach with the Rega P3 and RP-855 and the 3 point suspended format of the Sytemdek XII and the EB-101. When these turntables were current , they were all considered an upgrade over the likes of the Dual CS-505 MKII , Ariston Q Deck and a few other well regarded entry level turntables such as the Rega Planar 2, Rotel RP-830 etc. I would say that for speed switching convenience , the Rotal RP-855 at a good price makes a very good sounding turntable when well set up with the right cartridge IF you have a dedicated shelf to isolate it from structure borne vibration. It gives a solid , robust sound with a well defined bass that has some degree of control and sheer impact. Likewise, the Rega P3 also needs to be well isolated with a decent wall shelf or similar, and is pretty much a very neutral turntable that tends to take on the character of whatever cartidge is fitted , although personally I've never enjoyed a Rega P2 or P 3with any of their own entry level cartridges. I've always found the sound of a decent Ortofon or Audio Technica cartidge adds a welcome bit of 'flavour' to the inherently neutral sound of either the P3 or P3 , and specifically the RB-250 and RB-300 arms. The Rega has a better engineered arm than the Rotel in terms of using a more expensive cartridge and a generally better bearing assembly , but these two turntables are best viewed as the sum of their parts, and, back in the day were all pretty regarded as a sonic benchmark at the £200 price point ( circa 1987-1990) ish. The EB-101 and Systemdek offer a bit more isolation via the suspension which generally allows the tonearm to work relatively free from external vibration and , in doing dso , add less coloration the sound of whatever cartidge you fit to them. Once again , it would probably be splitting hairs to say which one is better when viewed as a complete package. What will make a huge difference to any of these turntables is how well you can match a current cartridge in terms of compliance to the effective mass of the tonearm fitted to either of them. Also , cartidge alignment to a specific geometry and a pair of null points associated with that geometry using the ACTUAL mounting distance of the tonearm fitted , is critical to getting the best sound from any of them ( and indeed any turntable in general) . The standard Rotel arm is quite decent but I would check the bearings for play at the pivot. If in good order, then something like the modern equivalent of a ye olde Audio Technica AT-110E makes a fine sound match for the Rotel . Ditto the AR-EB-101 which has a decent tonearm coupled to it's fairly well isoalted suspension system. Expect a more detailed mid-range on the AR than your current Ariston, with a bit more defintion and separation of high and low notes. Not light years ahead..but noticeable enough to warrant the turntable upgrade before throwing money at a more expensive cartridge. The Rega and Systemdek are perhaps easier to accomodate in terms of cartidge matching as these are well known turntables that still have a loyal following and are both fine sounding turntables in their own right with tonearms that tend to mate well with medium compliance cartidges that have a tracking force range anywhere betwen abotu 1.4gm to 2.5gm downforce. Whichever you choose , I think you'll be happy with the sound. Enjoy !
 
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" The Systemdek back in the day competed with the Sondek, a Rega does not and never will, even the Top model does not.
"

Maybe the Systemdek IV could be considered a competitor...not so much the XII. There were a few turntables between a Systemdek XII which were closer to a Sondek in terms of sound quality potential. The Logic DM-101 with Logic Datum arm being one of the first to offer similar levels of performance around 1984 ( some say it made a Sondek look over priced) , followed by such as the Pink Triangle PT TOO, Cranfield Elite Rock and a few other better thorens model Td-3xx & td 5xx series. Slightly below these Linn competitors, you still had the likes of the Manticore Mantra and Heybrook TT2 , AR Legend , Ariston Rd-90 Superieur etc which were considered a step up from the Systemdek XII.
 
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