Looking for a beginner turntable

Hi

 

I think the Rega turntable would be an excellent purchase.

 

However you could buy a Rega P3 second-hand and this is better.

 

The Rega turntables are very easy to set up and very well made. There have been huge numbers made over the years so you could get a very good second-hand one.

 

The advantage with the P3 is that it comes with the superb RB300 arm which can take very high quality cartridges giving you the capability of turning your Rega into a truly stellar performer!

 

I don't know anything about the Pro-Ject turntable so I cannot advise on that one.

I also love the Rega turntables - I started out with a used Planar 3 that I loved. It ended up with a close friend who also enjoys it.

Google the Vinyl Anachronist - you'll find plenty of content to read and you'll come away with a good understanding of what you need.

I would third the Rega P3. Another well regarded table is the Technics 1200 line.

 

Both would need to be second hand, but both can be upgraded significantly.  I would get a starter table if you are new to the format.  Vinyl can be superb, but it is a religion.  If you like it, your wallet is out of luck.

If a p3 is out of your price range the P2 is far from bad. I have one and love it! Admittedly mine does have a tonearm from the p3 on it but considering how good it sounds and how well it's built I picked it up for peanuts. Don't forget to budget for a reasonable phono-stage. I bought a project debut III at the same time (bidding on too many items on ebay) and re-sold it again about three weeks later.

Hi

 

The P2 is also a great one to get second-hand as Marcus_C has said. It has the Rega RB 250 arm on it, and that is a classic excellent arm.

 

To be honest I don't know anything about the Denon turntable you mention.

 

You might want to have a look at the UK eBay for turntables because there are always Rega TT's there, in the UK the Rega turntable was used by really massive numbers of people. Prices at UK eBay are lower than those you quote, like half the prices in fact.

No, you do not need a Rega phonostage for a Rega turntable.  You can use any phonostage out there.  If you want to save a few dollars at first, pick up one of the inexpensive ones at Garage 'A Records.

 

I'm not sure why the Regas are so pricey.  I think I spent about $400 for the table and arm when I bought mine.  There are usually ones running from $400-$500 on Audiogon.  Also, I'd probably go with the P3 instead of the P2 or P1.  You want the glass platter and the RB300 arm is one of the best out there.

 

You'll also find a lot of great upgrades and toys for the P3 decks.  A couple I like are the Groovetracer Subplatter and the Michell Tecnoweight.

Good tables hold their value reasonably well, so if you take the plunge but decide analog's not for you, you should be able to get back out with minimal loss.

 

Two nice tables on the 'gon right now:

 

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1292525241&/Rega-planar-2-rega-planar-2-RB

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1293107364&/Technics-SL-1210-MK2-black-bea

 

Some will disagree, but I'd say that the P2 is about 90% of the table that the P3 is. Not bad. Consider the SL1210 as well -- I have a Technics SL1200mk2 right now, and like it very much and recommend as a first table. There's also a Creek OBH-8 for sale at the moment, which I've found to be a solid entry level phono preamp. You'd probably be set for a while with either of these rigs.

 

Good luck!

 

Like something you might find in a radio station where consistent operation day after day after years of use is valued?

 

Whats wrong with pro gear? Really very little.

Well yes nikongod, those Technics SL-1200s are really robust and do sound good, but the Rega turntables are in a different class.

 

The SL-1200 is let down by a very poor arm. The arm is strong for DJing but not of high quality.

 

The Rega P2 and P3 turntables are actually a simpler design, being belt drive, but they are sonically really very good indeed.

 

The arm fitted to the P2 and P3 can take very high quality cartridges, costing more than the whole turntable sometimes, and they will not be compromised.

 

The Technics 1200 arm is a cousin of the EPA-100 arm, which is anything but a DJ arm. The 1200 arm is sold in more or less its same trim as today was available when the 1200(no MK) was available as an audiophile table. For those of you who dont know, the 1200 was originally marketed as a pure hi-fi TT and was later adopted by the DJ crowd.

 

There is an awful lot of "cool" in the technics arm. Its low cost is simply a result of mass production. The 1200 has scary-low-friction bearings, dampened counterweight, and built in VTAf. The Rega arms are also very nice designs, and may even surpass the 1200 arm in overall quality & musical enjoyment, but to say that the technics 1200 arm is of poor (my addition:quality, I doubt the technics arm has cashflow issues) is completely incorrect.

 

I completely agree that the Rega plinths, platters, and motors are in a different class than the 1200. I dont however agree that an off the shelf synchronous motor, an MDF plinth, and a tip from a walking cane as a foot will ever get you into the same class as a constrained layer damping plinth, closed loop speed control (that actually runs at 33.3333rpm! How novel), leveling suspension feet, and purpose built motors. Its a lot like comparing a trabant to pretty much anything that wasnt made in East Germany - a different class indeed.

 

You should look at a new rega main bearing shaft next to a technics 1200 main bearing shaft. Its funny how the Technics main bearings keep their micron level polish for years of use where Regas come from the factory dull and then get worse. While your in there, measure the run out.

 

Your last line dosnt really say much. with one word changed it still says nothing. It may look imopressive if you dont read between the lines though

The arm fitted to the Technics 1200 can take very high quality cartridges, costing more than the whole turntable sometimes, and they will not be compromised.

 

Try putting an SPU on a rega. I would agree that rega arms do make a great upgrade to nice TT's, and a Rega arm on a 1200 is a force to be reckoned with, but a stock rega P3 does not really stand up to a stock Technics 1200mk2.