Buying a new T/T
Aug 5, 2002 at 1:07 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15

Trawlerman

A British ingredient in our rockin' international gumbo.
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I'm thinking of buying a new turntable to replace my trusty Rega P3. This is what i've come up with. A local dealer has this little lot available at the right price.
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S/H Michell Gyrodec SE for £1000 and includes
Latest DC motor
Michell V/C PSU
New Rega RB300
i think they are also including an MC25FL? but not sure.

I can upgrade this further by adding
Michell Orbe Platter for £285
Rega VTA adjuster £16
Michell Clamp £18
Michell Generic perspex lid for £45

I'm also thinking about having the the RB300 rewired with the Incognito kit for £130. My current rig has the RB300 and the wiring is SH$*E to be honest.


So for around £1500 UKP I can have this great (seems so to me) turntable setup. One can only image what it would sound like, but i'd be willing to bet it would be quite a force to be reckoned with.

I intend running it with my Ortofon Kontrapunkt A and a hand-built (Tim De Paravincini) EAR 834P Signature Pre/Phono stage.


SWEET!
evil_smiley.gif



Sound As Ever
listening to THE EXECUTIONERS LAST SONG by the PINE VALLEY COSMONAUTS
on Krell MD10/Studio >-- Audiolab 8000q >-- 2 x Rotel RB970s >-- Spendor SP3/1 'BBC Style Monitors'
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 1:59 PM Post #2 of 15
he fought the law, and the law won,

sounds like a hell of an analogue front end. when i was turntable shopping to upgrade my planar 3 (originally had the rb300, then replaced with an orgin live rewired rb250 w/counterweight) i tried the basis 1400 and the vpi mkiii, both great tables that loved the modded rb250, but i decided that the vpi scout w/ jmw 9 tonearm was my best option. i intended to try the gyrodec, i think they're gorgeous, but just never got around to it... i don't regret my decision but at times i wonder if i would've fallen for it had it graced my system.

as a word of advice, i ran into an unexpected problem when i upgraded: i missed my planar 3 terribly. its sense of PRaT and upfront, groovy sound really was special, and the reason i tried so many turntables is because i couldn't capture it untill i found the right combo. yeah i got the black backgrounds, the increased resolution, and better overall sound, but my respect for the planar 3 has risen as i upgraded. in my opinion the rewire for the rb300 (or trading in for a fully tricked out rb250) is a no brainer upgrade. for what its worth...

best,
carlo.
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 2:28 PM Post #3 of 15
I am surprised that happy Rega P3 owners don't naturally look to the Rega P25 with excellent RB600 arm included. Price although more is still very reasonable. Retail I think is @620 pounds vs 300 pounds for P3.
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 2:40 PM Post #4 of 15
post by carlo to come...

(double post, trying to make it look intentional)
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 2:41 PM Post #5 of 15
darkangel,

because both the gyrodeck and standard vpi tables offer an upgrade path and both have readily available armboards should we ever decide to try another arm. a little past the "plug and play" philosophy of rega at this point.

best,
carlo.
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 3:05 PM Post #6 of 15
I would like to hear a VPI but opportunities to hear them here in the UK are very few and far between.

None of the local dealers (within 100 miles) offer VPI let alone carry them. I did speak to a London dealer about a second hand Mk 1 VPI TNT and an SME309 arm but found the was less than helpful when it came to getting information out of him. So I've more or less scratched that idea.

I did hear that the P25 and P6 from Rega were quite good. To be honest, i've not considered either of them really.

I've heard and seen quite a few Linn's and to be honest I don't like the buggers! Far too fiddly to set-up and apart from buying a brand new one I can't really besure that it hasn't been messed with.

My local dealer has Project Perspective for £750 and an RPM9 £1000 with Carbon Fibre Arm. They are offering quite a hefty discount with all Ortofon Carts with every Project sold. I'm probably gonna get a dem of those this week.




Trouble is.... i've lusted for a Gyro for so long, that even if I get an RPM9 or VPI or whatever i'll still probably want the Gyro.

What makes the Gyro warm to me is the numerous upgrade options that it has. The Projects are a little restrictive that way.



Anyway, we'll have to see what happens. Thanks for the replies fellas and keep 'em coming in.

BTW, i'll be putting the P3 in my other system so I shaln't miss it.
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 4:02 PM Post #7 of 15
bulletproof,

have you considered the nottingham tables by any chance? another one i considered but never got around to trying...
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 4:31 PM Post #8 of 15
Trawlerman, listen to Carlo! Don't do anything before you listen to a Nottingham Analogue turntable! They are a bit hard to find, as NA don't really advertise, but they are soooo luvverly.... I got an Interspace (the lowest model) a couple of months ago, and it's been fantastic all the way! I upgraded from a P3 (via a Systemdek), and it's just so much better.... The Spacedeck would be a good model to look at for your purposes, it costs about the same as a Gyro SE (£860 IIRC), and you can upgrade the (already huge) platter to a massive sintered carbon one that comes on the Hyperspace. All NA turntables can take two arms, and NA make theirs to fit a Rega cutout. I'm running a rewired RB300 on mine, and works just fine! You can also adjust the VTA on the arm mount, which is handy. So bung on a rewired RB300, stick an Origin Live counterweight on it, and you're flying. You could also investigate Hadcock tonearms, another cottage industry, very much like NA. I heard a Hadcock on a Hyperspace with a Wilson Benesch cartridge, and it was so damn good... >speechless<
So a Spacedeck with upgraded platter will probably be £1100 ish, add £200 for rewire and OL modification, and you're looking at not a lot of money for a lovely turntable! One thing I love about this turntable is the method of starting the platter turning - the motor is very weak, so you gently push the platter, and it maintains the speed, without a powerful motor transmitting vibrations through the belt. It sounds absolutely quiet, so much more so than the Systemdek, and a hell of a lot more than the P3.
Just a couple more points.... Tom Fletcher, the owner of NA, is a gentleman, always ready to help out. I've never heard a Michell turntable, but I've heard that, because of their suspended design, that they can be tricky to set up... the NA decks, in this respect are simplicity itself. Adjust the feet so that the platter is level (spirit level included!) and that's it! As far as dealers for NA go, I think Walrus in London do them, but I got mine in Northern Ireland, so can't really comment!
Can you tell that I'm really enthusiastic about my Interspace?
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Hope this helps, I'd love to hear the results of your listening tests!
Andrew
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 4:41 PM Post #9 of 15
Incidently, Carlo... I played Tom Waits Blue Valentine when I was listening to the Hyperspace, Hadcock and Wilson Benesch combination.... well, all I can say is, I think my wallet is spoken for for the next, oh, 15 years! You know in the title song, the last track, when he really spits out a couple of words? Well, I could almost feel the saliva! It was that good.
Andrew
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Aug 5, 2002 at 5:20 PM Post #10 of 15
insanefred,

yeah, waits' vinyl transfers are excellent. if you ever get around to buying "alice" you should jump all over it (currently selling for $10-15 in the united states). i'll refrain from exalting waits' virtues so the thread doesn't get hijacked, but i definitely had to respond to your followup
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regards,
carlo.
 
Aug 5, 2002 at 7:03 PM Post #11 of 15
actually, I would go with an origin live (or expressimo) modified RB250. The general consensus is that the RB250 responds better to the mods than the RB300 and even 600.

Also...I strongly urge you to consider building a teres turntable...they cost about the same as a mitchell, and have a reputation for price/performance in the 1000+ range.

their site is here:
http://www.teresaudio.com/product/series100.html

I'm sure you would be happy with the mitchel too. If it were me, I'd go with the teres.
 
Aug 6, 2002 at 7:59 AM Post #12 of 15
I'll look out for the Nottingham Analogue stuff. I actually live only 80 miles from the factory itself so it may be beneficial to speak with them and pay a personal visit.

Points noted on the Arms. My current P3 has a standard RB300, and i'm defintely gonna go for a rewired one. I've many good things about the OL Modified ones.

I feel a little a little let down with the RB300 as it stands because of the relatively poor arm wiring. The tiny cartridge clips are so weak it's unbelievable. I tightened mine up a little by light squeezing them with a pair of needlenose pliers but now they are too tight and probably led to me damaging my Sumiko Blue Point Cart.



Carlo. I'm also a Tom Waits fan. I do have the latest two - Alice and Blood Money? but my father spirited them away before I even got to listen
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I've got a brand new 180g box set of Pink Floyd - Echoes lined up to play on my T/T when I finally decide what i'm doing.



Sound As Ever
 
Aug 6, 2002 at 8:41 AM Post #13 of 15
Seem to be great tables all, but difficult to find in shops and compare if you are not happy to live near Walrus or a similar shop.
I have made an Incognito rewiring of my RB250 and can recommend it with the Kontrapunkt that I also have. Need some time to burn-in, not the simplest thing to do with a tonearem wire.
Before I had a problem with slight hum on one channel and occasional RF interference from some com radio. These problems haven't appeared after the rewire. Also a clear improvement of audio quality.
The structural modification is as important as the rewiring. RB250 is said to be the best choice for upgrades. I beleive it's strength is a very simple construcion with very few parts. It becomes a little primitive and you need a tonearm weight to set the tracking force.
 
Aug 6, 2002 at 8:50 AM Post #14 of 15
Trawlerman,I have the Gyro SE with the old AC motor and QC power supply (with an MC30 cart. and Origin Live Silver Taper tonearm) and it's fantastic one of the best things i've bought. The built quality is superb and the sound very involving,I would urge you to get the Michell record clamp and VTA adjuster at the same time rather than as an upgrade. The perspex cover looks really cool too (even this is very well made)

BTW I tried a kontrapunkt B on this deck and found that because the cart. body sits very low to the record surface on some of my records the body would touch the record no matter what tracking force or arm height I used (even on flat discs),have you had this problem?
 
Aug 6, 2002 at 9:18 AM Post #15 of 15
It's almost unanimous then. A rewire is almost a must for the Rega arms.

The Origin Live tonearm seems quite a tempting prospect. Fairly reasonably priced.


ROB N: I've got the Kontrapunkt A fitted on my P3/RB300 at the moment and haven't found any problems with it sitting too low. My previous cart was a Sumiko Blu Pouint which had quite a deep body on it so I fitted a shim underneath the RB300 to give me the correct VTA. I've left that in, because as you've found the Kontrapunkt also has quite a deep body.

I'm still running my Kontapunkt in at the moment (around 15 hours so far) and it just gets better and better with each listen.




I've just spoken with my local dealer and have arranged a dem this morning so I may end up with the Gyro later on today.



Sound As Ever
 

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