Rega P2 - Best TT under $600-$700???

[jp11801]

I'd take a technics 1200, sony ps-x70 or denon direct drive table over this P2, all have better build quality and far better sound for the buck. They will all out spec the rega and they were built to last. Used all (well maybe not some denons) are in or under your price range.

[Pangaea]

I am also looking at the Pro-Ject Xpression III, any thoughts on this TT?

[ssportclay]

Originally Posted by Pangaea

Looking to possibly update my turntable (AT PL120) and after extensive research both here and elsewhere is seems most roads point to the Rega P2. I must also admit its simplicity is appealing. I really just want to get a solid TT that I can hook right up to my amp w/phono stage and play. Obviously I am hoping for a nice SQ upgrade over my AT.

Am I missing any other great players in this range? Ideally I want a TT that comes with a cartridge already installed. I did one already on my AT and it was a pain in the butt.

Thanks...

The Technics 1200/1210 MKII is the most solid turntable at your price.The Rega and Pro-Ject tables actually have nicer tonearms but the tables themselves are not very substantial and leave no upgrade path short of selling them. The Technics is popular and well supported and has an impressive upgrade path so there would never be a need to ever sell it. BTW,I don't really enjoy changing cartridges either but this is part of the fun of owning a turntable. Setting up a turntable is something that all owners should learn how to do. I am more of a listener then a tweeker and I tend to leave things alone once I get everything working a tracking correctly.

[TimJo]

Pangaea, I have a couple of questions for you.

Are you mainly using this with headphones, or is it for a speaker based system?

Will you be getting it online, or from an audio shop?

[juniperlater]

Originally Posted by Pangaea

I am also looking at the Pro-Ject Xpression III, any thoughts on this TT?

Originally Posted by juniperlater

What about the MMF-5? I have found this to be superior in every way to the P2. I have the Pro-Ject version (better arm, worse stock cartridge, worse plinth set-up) and think value for money there is amazing. BUT... the price is going up really soon to a couple hundred outside of your price range.

The Xpression III is the Pro-Ject version of the MMF-5. If you have a cartridge already (a good one), get the Pro-Ject. If you don't have a good cartridge, get the MMF-5 (it comes with a $300 Goldring).

MMF-5
- Better Cartridge
- Better Plinth
- Comes with a clamp

Xpression III
- Better Arm
- Less $
- Better Platter
- Lame cartridge stock.

[jsaliga]

Originally Posted by Pangaea

Wow I am surprised by the the replies. It sounds like the Rega P2 is not widely regarded.

Regas are definitely not widely regarded by people who don't like Rega. What really kills me is many people are quick to make comparisons of their favorite turntable to tables they have never owned. Perhaps the people giving you advice in this thread are exceptions and when they say that their turntable is way better than a Rega that they have actually owned both. But people around here usually don't qualify their advice.

I own a P7, which is out of your price range. But my point is that when I was shopping for a turntable last year there were a lot of people who tried to talk me out of the Rega saying they were mediocre turntables. They turned out to be dead ass wrong, and I realized that I was getting advice from people who don't much care for Rega.

--Jerome

[jp11801]

it is not about not liking Rega it is more about the price performance ratio and understanding what you are buying. The strong side of a rega table is the arm the weak side of the table is the plinth and motor. They make decent enough tables but there are other options that provide greater dollar value and sound quality IMHO. Did rega ever fix the slightly fast motor issue they had btw.

Rega tables are good simple out of the box solutions for vinyl that require little tweaking or maintenance but there are better solutions out there at this price range.

Think about cost factors a $500 table with an arm is almost impossible to make with top flight parts. At a retail of $500 the dealer cost is going to be $300 to $400 then there is the distributor that buys them from the manufacturer so let say they get them for $250 to $300 and then lets assume a manufacturer mark up of just 3x parts so that leaves $80 to $100 in parts. Lower end regas are going to perform like most lower end tables ok but leaving alot of sound on the record.

[juniperlater]

I have owned a P2 and P3 and considered it an upgrade to go to the Xpression III. However, one of the main reasons was that it ran on DC current and worked beautifully with Grado cartridges.

Rega may run on DC now, but both of mine were AC. I believe a table running DC gives one more cartridge options.

However, a turntable shouldn't make a sound or affect the sound signature of your system. If it does then it is not a very good table.

Then there is the issue of isolation. The two Regas I had did nothing for isolation. The MMF-5 has a dual-plinth design with sorbothane in the middle to help with the isolation issue. The Xpression III has sorbothane under tripod-isolation feet. They (MMF-5 + Xpression III) also isolate the motor using a rubber-band suspension system. They are both fairly flat (not too much injection of sound into the sound signature), natural, sophisticated tables.

And no, I "don't much care for Rega" so take it for what it is worth.

But at least I have owned them.

[Uncle Erik]

Originally Posted by jp11801

it is not about not liking Rega it is more about the price performance ratio and understanding what you are buying. The strong side of a rega table is the arm the weak side of the table is the plinth and motor. They make decent enough tables but there are other options that provide greater dollar value and sound quality IMHO. Did rega ever fix the slightly fast motor issue they had btw.

According to some, Rega never did have a problem with running fast.

And what, specifically, is wrong with the motor and plinth? Have you had any bad experiences with them, personally? If you had one that ran fast or motor/plinth problems with one you owned, please share.

I had zero problems with my Planar 3 - it completely sold me on vinyl and was a snap to set up and use. Build quality is good and it ran for a few hours every day with no problems. This, from a 20 year old deck.

There are plenty of upgrades and tweaks for these, as well. You can upgrade/tweak every part on it. Maybe not the dustcover, but everything else has upgrades.

I would have stuck with the Planar 3, but ran into a bit of money and upgraditis last year. I was itching for a suspended deck and the Orbe was a terrific deal. Zero regrets whatsoever about the Planar 3, though. I gave the setup to a good friend who loves it and uses it constantly. No problems there, either.

[jp11801]

never owned a rega table, my ex-local shop in Florida sold them and I was able to audition them from the p3 on up. Like I said they are not bad tables but the plinth offers no isolation. The motor issue has been pretty well documented on the web. If the table was well put together out of the shop there would not be such a large cottage industry designed to improve them? This is no different from the LP12 which while I love it requires way too many 'upgrades' to make it competitive with tables that are 20 years old.
Again I am not saying they are bad just that there is alot more resolution to be had from LPs than the regas can muster.
http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/vi...er=asc&start=0