Why does Vertigo hate REGA?
Dec 1, 2002 at 12:10 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 26

Czilla9000

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What does everyone think of the Rega Planet (the new one). Why does Vertigo hate it?
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 1:01 AM Post #3 of 26
The reason I ask is I am an anal acccuracy details freak just like Vertigo, so if he likes a source I will like it too probably.



(BTW, was I right when I classified Vertigo as an anal accuracy details freak???? Or is he more the musicality, natural, tuby type??)


Also, I don't currently like SACD (from the specs) because it seems to nix details. However if Vertigo is a details freak and he likes it.....
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 1:24 AM Post #4 of 26
I don't quite hate them per say...it's more like the hell that I went through to get a Rega player to audition in the end made me feel very disappointed when the player didn't turn out to be what I was looking for. And along the auditioning way, I ended up breaking my previous player as well (which may have been a good thing, or I'd probably still be on a Denon DCM-370). Which is what adds up to one teed off experience with Rega.

Rega's signature sound just didn't agree with my tastes, particularly for the price. Now the Planet 2000 is probably a great player in its price range. But one of the things I expected from upgrading to a more expensive CD player was better/much better detail retrieval than whatever I have currently. This is just a part of my preferences...I like to hear layers of detail.

So you can imagine my disappointment when it turned out that the Rega Jupiter 2000 I paid $1200 for, that retails at $1800, had no better detail retrieval than a $200 Denon DCM-370. It is, for the most part, a player based entirely on PRAT at the cost of inner detail, which is apparently the signature sound of Rega gear. And having heard it, I'm pretty much staying away from Rega gear myself.

I had a Sony SCD-9000ES for a while, but I still felt I wasn't hearing everything in my recordings laid out before me. From the SACDs I heard on it though, it was easier to hear deep inner details than on the CD version of the same album. Nonetheless I fall in the camp of people that buys and listens to way more CDs than SACDs. My next obvious choices from reviews was either the Arcam FMJ CD23 or the Sony XA-777ES. Tough battle, but to make a long story short, I ended up choosing the CD23 over the Sony.

I paid not much more for my current Arcam FMJ CD23T than the Jupiter, and I like it much, much more than than Jupiter I heard. Now this is a player that's right up my alley. The dCS Ring DAC the CD23 employs unravels details like no tomorrow in recordings...and probably does it the best in its price range. It will pretty much serve as my source for a while...until I can strike it rich and get a full blown dCS DAC like the Delius or Elgar.

Yes, you could definitely consider me an accuracy details freak.
wink.gif
My system is built around that very preference.
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 1:42 AM Post #5 of 26
Hmmm.....so you are a details accuracy freak who likes SACD, and coud hear more details with them than redbook.


So would you suggest SACD to details accuracy freak like me? It is just I am worried because I heard SACD sacrifices details at the expense of smoothness.



Thank you!!!
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 1:46 AM Post #6 of 26
I don't think SACDs smooth anything out at all, at least not in the areas where you'd feel it's detrimental. The regions that are noticeably smoother is in sibilants, harsh sibilants are replaced by perfectly smooth, natural sibilants. It does not however smooth over leading edges (which would result in a softened feel to things), or transients (which would make things seem blurred together), or anything like that.
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 1:49 AM Post #7 of 26
Quote:

Originally posted by Czilla9000
What does everyone think of the Rega Planet (the new one). Why does Vertigo hate it?


No stinkin detail, Man! If the music doesn't fly so fast that it burns, your missing out.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 3:21 AM Post #8 of 26
Thanks guys....what SACD player you suggest for 700 (USD $) or less?
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 5:01 AM Post #9 of 26
Go to audiogon and wait until another Modwright or Kern mod-ed 333ES comes up. They sell for between $750-$850. This was a $1200 player plus mods of $400 or more, it's the best you can get for your $.

Mark
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 7:04 AM Post #10 of 26
The Sony SCD-C333ES never really sold for $1200 -- pretty soon after it began to hit the shelves, Oade Bros. began to sell it for around $400. I wonder if it wouldn't make sense to get the newer SCD-222ES with the newer DAC chips and get that modded instead? I think the 222 goes for around $300 at Oade (you have to call them).
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 7:40 AM Post #11 of 26
Ya....I was curious about the 222ES...is it better than the now defunct 333ES?
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 7:21 PM Post #12 of 26
I don't know that Oade ever sold it that cheap-- it was GoodGuys where I got mine for that price when the 555 came out, and there were only a few left in CA at that time. Remember, it's been out for a while. Look at audioreview (65 reviews) to see what people paid for this unit, it varies between $300 and $1200, averaging around $800 over the time it was avail. Jude and MacDEF didn't get there's for $400, I remeber that.

Anyway the 222ES, may have the multi-channel DAC, but do a search on audioasylum, and you'll see that you really sacrifice 2-channel performance when you have 5 channels worth of parts/outputs vs. the 333ES's two. Build quality and power supplies is not nearly as good on the 222ES. According to reviews I've seen on audioasylum, the 333ES beats out the $1600 multic-channel 555ES on 2-channel material. Also, don't know if any one mods the 222ES.

Mark
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 9:08 PM Post #14 of 26
The last time I heard a SCD-333ES, I wasn't very impressed with the sound. If you do get one, make it a must to mod it...whatever the mods do for it. Otherwise it sounded thin, bright, analytical, and laid back in the midrange to me. It sounded pretty similar to the NS-500V, except with better bass.

My suggestion goes to the Arcam CD72T for the under $1k price range for redbook playback...I believe it's equipped with the Ring DAC as well.
 
Dec 1, 2002 at 9:58 PM Post #15 of 26
Never underestimate the power of Pavlovian conditioning. In the days Rega turntables were new, an audio dealer I lived near introduced me to them. However, he had a bad habit of playing music on the Rega's, then the same music again on a well setup Linn or Oracle, so the Rega always came out sounding second best. That's how I think of Rega to this day
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