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What’s the big deal?

flavio81 said:
Anyways, i woudn't call a RP1 "junk" at all because the tonearm is far from junk and the tonearm has a major contribution to the sound.
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While that RB101 arm may have acceptable performance, to me the RP1 table looks like…junk.

I made the mistake of buying a new Planar 3 in 1988, mostly because the salesman claimed the tonearm was so good. What I really wanted at that time but couldn’t really afford, was a Sota Sapphire. That Planar 3 was an adequate performer for many years but until I had more experience using different tables, I didn’t realize how mediocre it really was… Decent tonearm though.
Sold that Rega when I thought about either spending some $ on upgrades - or putting the money into a nicer table to start with. Have several well made tables now, all of which I think sound as good or better than that Rega - and, I do have my Sota.
I do not miss the Rega. :)
 
MisterDK said:
While that RB101 arm may have acceptable performance, to me the RP1 table looks like…junk.

I made the mistake of buying a new Planar 3 in 1988, mostly because the salesman claimed the tonearm was so good. What I really wanted at that time but couldn’t really afford, was a Sota Sapphire. That Planar 3 was an adequate performer for many years but until I had more experience using different tables, I didn’t realize how mediocre it really was… Decent tonearm though.
Sold that Rega when I thought about either spending some $ on upgrades - or putting the money into a nicer table to start with. Have several well made tables now, all of which I think sound as good or better than that Rega - and, I do have my Sota.
I do not miss the Rega. :)
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Fair enough.
 
I had a P3-24 for about 8 years. With the evolving nature of my upgrades over time it was the very last significant piece of media playback to go and held its own with a Goldring Eroica LX, teamed up with a Perreaux Audiant VPE Phono Stage, into a Magnum Dyanab 209 Hybrid Integrated and out through Totem Tribe Towers.
 
I have a Pioneer PL-X430. I bought it out of interest as it has a tangential arm and I wanted to take it apart and see how they operate.
It's a cheap plasticky belt drive midi turntable from 1987. It has been boxed up and stored for a few years and I recently got it out to check it over. It operates perfectly and has better speed accuracy, constancy and wow figures than my Project ever did. I checked the 295T stylus (probably the original) through a microscope. It was O.K. not chipped, but possibly a bit worn. I replaced it with a new AT85EP eliptical stylus and I have to say it sounds surprisingly good. Perfectly O.K. for casual listening, and the automatic functions are very useful for that.

How does it compare with my converted Pro-Ject turntable. Well it doesn't, but I didn't expect it to because they are worlds apart.
Would it out-perform a modern cheap turntable. Probably. The most amazing thing is that 'probably' relates to a turntable which is 36 years old.
 
gadget73 said:
pianos are really where you hear bad speed regulation. Its such a pure, clean tone that any variation in speed is pretty easy to pick up.
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Yes, I was surprised a little as I'm not as critical a listener as some but it was quite unpleasant.

The comments about the apparent poor value decks such as Rega seem to offer are quite valid but you do have to consider the whole package, including the arm . As I note even the basic level belt drive was offering better wow/flutter specs than a new direct drive.

I've spent some time upgrading the perceived weaknesses on a Rega with for me some success. However if I'm really honest the cost (mostly time in this case) has resulted in a TT which sounds "different" from the old Rega P2 on which it was based. But I like and enjoy it, so well worth it in my view.
 
yeah I'm not exactly the world's most discerning listener either but if I'm listening to what sounds like a piano with a whammy bar or being run through a Leslie on slow rotation, something is very wrong.
 
bkatbamna said:
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Great video. Yes, they are the very same cartridge. I would have hoped that the Rega version had more stringent tests or quality control but no, channel imbalance and separation are similar showing that no, the Rega wasn't a specially selected version etc.

On the other hand what this video shows is how tremendous value is the AT3600L. In the video it makes music without major faults.
 
Powertech said:
But nowhere near as good as the best 1980 direct drives (quoted as below 0.025%). i''ve measured these as 0.01%
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WTF? Of course new Technics direct drive is light years better than all those crap, like Clearaudio, Rega, ProJect etc. expensive tables hand made with axe and crowbar. But, of course, record centering is a must. How you measured 0,01%? With 3150hz test record at inner groove (this is how it should be done)?
 
radiokom said:
WTF? Of course new Technics direct drive is light years better than all those crap, like Clearaudio, Rega, ProJect etc. expensive tables hand made with axe and crowbar. But, of course, record centering is a must. How you measured 0,01%? With 3150hz test record at inner groove (this is how it should be done)?
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Well, you may have a point with some of the Pro-Ject and Rega tables- but even the Clearaudio Concept, is going to just walk all over ANY Technics table currently made. Just an order of magnitude better tonearm design, and better isolation. Not to mention the higher end Clearaudio tables like the Ovation and Innovation series.

But, we're talking 2 to 100 times, the price of the Technics. I don't think that those Clearaudio tables really belong in this discussion here...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
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