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Some Vinyl Questions

post #1 of 26
9/9/01 at 10:11pm
Thread Starter 
Well, today I dropped by my parents house, and since I was thinkin' about getting a turntable in the near future, decided to ask if they still had any records. Well, they pulled out 40 or 50, all in what looked like good condition (guess I won't know til I play them), and I started goin' through the stuff. Well, a recording of Handel's Messiah (done by the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra) caught my eye first, then tons and tons of jazz... Good stuff too.

So anyway, this really got my attention, and I think I'm gonna get into vinyl I want an entry level turntable, and was looking at the Rega Planar 2. There's on on ebay right now, but I was wondering, is the Rega P2 different from the Planar 2? Also, I'll need a phono stage, and was looking at either the Creek OBH-8 or the OBH-9. Does anyone know the difference? And which would be the best for me?

Anyway, if these records are clean and in good condition when I play them, I just came into a lot of really enjoyable music So I'm happy, just need answers to those questions above... I appreciate any help yall can give me! Thanks.
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post #2 of 26
9/9/01 at 11:48pm
I took a look at Rega's site. The Planar 2 became the P2 in 2000. I can't tell what, if any, changes were made in the design. A good place to look for information would be the vinyl asylum at www.audioasylum.com.

The OBH-8 is a moving magnet phono stage (also works with high output moving coils), and the OBH-9 is a low ouput moving coil phono stage. So, the question of which one is right for you depends on the type of cartridge you plan to use.

The Shure cartridge on the table at E-Bay is a MM, so you would want the OBH-8 if you plan to keep it. If budget is an issue, I'd recommend staying with high output cartridges. There are many good high output cartidges from Shure, Grado, Sumiko, and several others.
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post #3 of 26
9/9/01 at 11:52pm
Thread Starter 
Hirsch, ya, I think I'm gonna get the Creek OBH-8SE if I go with that table...

Do you know anything about the tonearm on that one? Because I was reading up on audioasylum and it's not the arm that came with it obviously, and I'm wondering if it's just a replacement or an upgrade...

I think they replaced the Planar 2's old glass platter with an mdf platter in the p2... not sure what if any difference that makes.
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post #4 of 26
9/10/01 at 12:35am
Flumpus: You call the Planar 2 entry level??? It's not - at least if you don't mean entry level _audiophile_ turntable. The Planar 2 is a very good, although not very comfy unit - and far from what I would consider entry level.

Greetings from SF!

Manfred / Lini
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post #5 of 26
9/10/01 at 12:42am
Thread Starter 
Lini...well, maybe I meant entry level price? Or what I consider to be entry level price I've received a couple e-mails from the guy I'm considering buying from, and apparently it's got an upgraded tonearm (Mission), and a Shure cartridge. All this vynil stuff is very overwhelming at the moment. I'm trying to learn lots of new stuff as fast as I can...

But I think I've kinda got a handle on it, and your very positive comments on the planar 2 really make me feel better...

BTW, the unit is 5-6 years old, should that bother me? I've read on audioasylum that they can last a while, so I don't think I'm bothered at least

Oh, and I'm just full of questions, so I'll post a few more...

The LP's my parents gave me. Alot are under the A&M Records label... alot of jazz, trumpet stuff. Did they make good recordings back in the day? I'm hoping so, 'cause I got alot of it My dad seemed to take good care of them, so that's good...
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post #6 of 26
9/10/01 at 12:47am
The A&M recordings were very good,heavy vinyl and well mastered.
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post #7 of 26
9/10/01 at 12:50am
Thread Starter 
Thanks Rick! That's JUST what I wanted to hear...

I'm just gettin' more and more excited about actually hearing this stack of records I've got sittin' in here next to me.

And I can't wait for my parents to come over after I have my setup runnin' to hear their music on my system, they should be very pleased
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post #8 of 26
9/10/01 at 12:57am
No, I've never heard that arm, and can't remember seeing it reviewed. Mission arms used to have a good reputation, FWIW, but that was years ago.
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post #9 of 26
9/10/01 at 2:10am
Flumpus: Would you mind telling me the exact type of arm & cartridge - and the price as well? Maybe I can say a bit more, then... Otherwise I'd recommend you to have a look at these: http://www.sumikoaudio.com/project.htm - similar quality as Rega, attractive prices - and very popular in Germany...

Greetings from SF!

Manfred / Lini
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post #10 of 26
9/10/01 at 9:18am
Thread Starter 
Hey lini, here's the link - http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1272562151

I don't know exactly what model the tonarm is. Maybe you can tell something by looking at it? Also, the reserve is $250...
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post #11 of 26
9/10/01 at 1:11pm
Flumpus: Mhmhmhm, I know this arm from somewhere - wasn't bad... But I can't really see the cartrigde well enough. And actually: I would't pay $250 for this unit...

And did you have a look at the Projects?

Greetings from SF!

Manfred / lini
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post #12 of 26
9/10/01 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
Lini...the Project 1.2 and the Phono Box may be what I'm lookin' for. Looks like a good price on each. So the Project 1.2 compares well with the lower end Rega? And would I be ok with that cartridge and tone arm for a while? Just to see how I like the sound of vynil? Thanks for the suggestions, I'm really thinkin' about 'em
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post #13 of 26
9/10/01 at 7:37pm
Flumpus: Actually, I'd dare say that even the Project 0.5 wouldn't stack up so bad against the Planar 2 in the ebay-offered combo. Projects' arms are also fairly good. I just don't remember at the moment, which cartridge comes with the 1.0 - do you happen to know that? But you could also get one without cartridge. In that case I'd recommend to try the Audio Technica AT331LP or Shure's M94E or M97E...

Greetings from SF!

Manfred / Lini
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post #14 of 26
9/10/01 at 8:14pm
Thread Starter 
The Project 1.22 comes with the Sumiko Oyster cartridge...good, bad? Anyway, I think that's what I'm gonna get. I'm gettin' excited
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post #15 of 26
9/10/01 at 11:22pm
The Project 1.2 is the just about the same table as the Music Hall MMF-2.1 (I own one). The location of the power switch and the exact platter used differ slightly, and it has a different arm. The first time I saw a Project I thought I was looking at the Music Hall. Took me a while to spot the differences. The Music Hall is a nice table, and I think the Project 1.2 is also. However, it's not in the same league as the Planar 2 with Mission arm. (A dealer told me, but I haven't confirmed, that the Music Hall is an OEM made by Rega. If so, the Project is also. They are that close.) Neither of the tables above will compare well to a Planar 2 in good condition.

I tried a Sumiko Oyster cartridge a few years ago, and didn't like it (the low end Grado's sound better to me). Highs were truncated and the cartridge sounded closed in. I got the same effect from the Sumiko Blue Point (tried that a few months ago). It did a lot of things well, but the sense of something missing was driving me nuts. So, I'm not a big fan of Sumiko's current cartridge line (although they used to carry the Grace F9E Ruby, long discontinued, which remains my favorite MM cartridge).

Whichever way you go, you'll have fun. The advantage to the Project is that you're buying new, and have warranty coverage. The Rega/Mission has greater potential from a sonic standpoint, but there's the risk of buying used. If the table's bearing, or the bearings on the arm are in bad shape, the used Rega will appear to work, but you won't get the sound it is capable of. Buying a used table has risk, but also can be rewarding. My main table, an Ariston RD11s and Grado arm, were bought used. I've put 19 years on the Ariston, and 15 years on the Grado. The combo still sings, and I haven't had a need to upgrade (although I've got the Music Hall in my bedroom system, and a Denon DP-52F direct drive table hooked to my computer. Come to think of it, I bought them used too. Thinking back even further, I believe the last table I bought new was a Garrard SL95B, around 1968 ).

Good luck, whichever way you decide.
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