Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

HayesWeighsIn said:
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Not sure if this is what you were thinking @HiFi Guy! I have been dying for a second setup out in my mostly finished garage that serves as my work (and work out) space. Finally pulled the trigger on a nicely priced used PLX-1000 that came with everything. I spend a lot of time out here, and after my first day of spinning, I’m very psyched on this.

Rolling with the rubber mat for now - the felt slipmat felt like a piece of cardboard, wasn’t into that. And as others have reported, the stock headshell likely will need an upgrade. I had to seat it like 5 times, as I was only getting left channel audio at first - seem to have traced it to that. And visibly the azimuth looks off to me, though audibly I’m not noticing anything as of yet. Going back and forth with a generic weight - undecided thus far which I prefer.

Just kind of threw the chain together and it’s all sorts of fun. Schiit Mani, Goldring E3 into my PreSonus monitor controller and Kali IN-8 studio monitors. Cables are just stuff I found in my pile(s)! The living room setup is the refined environment, out here we’re all gas, no brakes, except of course the exceptionally fast platter stop of the Pioneer!

The table itself is a joy to operate. Having had a Technics SL-1800 as my second ever table that was a hand me down from my old man, there are some tactile aspects that feel a bit cheaper in comparison, but nothing that affects performance or sonics. Very quiet table with an impressively dark background at this price point.

I’m a happy camper out here.
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Congrats! Welcome to the VPI/PLX team!
 
Have a 2018 Rega Planar 2 but the aux / grounding cable ingrained within the tone arm went bunk. Took several months to diagnose because it started with excess and inconsistent pops / clicks (which could be practically anything). But then I noticed it was almost always via the left channel. And then the humming started.

Probably happened during the move to Chicago despite carefully putting it in the original box and putting it in my car instead of the pod.

Anyways... I sent to tonearm in for repairs and Rega's support team have been great about it. Same time, I am considering upgrading / trying to get a more durable table and then selling the Planar 2 once its back in commision.

I saw Technics is making tables again. Those things are like tanks. Anyone have any experience with the newer ones and have an opinion on them? Eying the SL-1500C.

My budget would be around 1000k and my priorities are

A) durability (I move frequently, have a unpredictable kitten and also had a Debut Carbon tone-arm go bad on me years ago).
B) reliable and accurate tracking
C) swapable component cables
D) ideally legs that can be adjust for leveling purposes.

I've been using Sumiko carts on the Planar II and have been really happy with them. Speakers are Dynaudio M10's and amp is a Marantz 5005.

@HiFi Guy I know you helped me back when the Debut arm went wonky and probs have an opinon. And are probably shaking your head atm 😂
 
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DownIsTheNewUp said:
Have a 2018 Rega Planar 2 but the aux / grounding cable ingrained within the tone arm went bunk. Took several months to diagnose because it started with excess and inconsistent pops / clicks (which could be practically anything). But then I noticed it was almost always via the left channel. And then the humming started.

Probably happened during the move to Chicago despite carefully putting it in the original box and putting it in my car instead of the pod.

Anyways... I sent to tonearm in for repairs and Rega's support team have been great about it. Same time, I am considering upgrading / trying to get a more durable table and then selling the Planar 2 once its back in commision.

I saw Technics is making tables again. Those things are like tanks. Anyone have any experience with the newer ones and have an opinion on them? Eying the SL-1500C.

My budget would be around 1000k and my priorities are

A) durability (I move frequently, have a unpredictable kitten and also had a Debut Carbon tone-arm go bad on me years ago).
B) reliable and accurate tracking
C) swapable component cables
D) ideally legs that can be adjust for leveling purposes.

I've been using Sumiko carts on the Planar II and have been really happy with them. Speakers are Dynaudio M10's and amp is a Marantz 5005.

@HiFi Guy I know you helped me back when the Debut arm went wonky and probs have an opinon. And are probably shaking your head atm 😂
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Well if the budget is $1000k, you can get pretty much anything. 😎

Assuming you mean $1000 or $1k, you’d be talking close to a Technics 1500C. They are $1199 and come with the Ortofon Red straight out of the box. It meets all of your requirements. The only issue is that I’ve seen 2 reports of the auto arm lift at the end of play going wonky. If this happens, the table becomes useless.

You could just swap cartridges and put your Sumiko on the Technics and the Ortofon on the Rega. The Rega won’t be setup correctly and would need a 2mm shim at the base of the arm, but you could point this out to a perspective buyer assuming you are selling it.

If you swap cartridges, this would actually give you a bigger budget- you won’t have to buy another Sumiko.

If there’s any way at all you could stretch (ok a big stretch from $1k) to a Technics 1200/10 GR, I could recommend that without reservation. I’ve recently bought one and it’s brilliant. It doesn’t come with a cartridge though. Move the Sumiko over and sell the Rega with the cartridge it originally came with.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Well if the budget is $1000k, you can get pretty much anything. 😎

Assuming you mean $1000 or $1k, you’d be talking close to a Technics 1500C. They are $1199 and come with the Ortofon Red straight out of the box. It meets all of your requirements. The only issue is that I’ve seen 2 reports of the auto arm lift at the end of play going wonky. If this happens, the table becomes useless.

You could just swap cartridges and put your Sumiko on the Technics and the Ortofon on the Rega. The Rega won’t be setup correctly and would need a 2mm shim at the base of the arm, but you could point this out to a perspective buyer assuming you are selling it.

If you swap cartridges, this would actually give you a bigger budget- you won’t have to buy another Sumiko.

If there’s any way at all you could stretch (ok a big stretch from $1k) to a Technics 1200/10 GR, I could recommend that without reservation. I’ve recently bought one and it’s brilliant. It doesn’t come with a cartridge though. Move the Sumiko over and sell the Rega with the cartridge it originally came with.
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Lok. Yes, 1k. I'll blame that on typing late at night.
HiFi Guy said:
Well if the budget is $1000k, you can get pretty much anything. 😎

Assuming you mean $1000 or $1k, you’d be talking close to a Technics 1500C. They are $1199 and come with the Ortofon Red straight out of the box. It meets all of your requirements. The only issue is that I’ve seen 2 reports of the auto arm lift at the end of play going wonky. If this happens, the table becomes useless.

You could just swap cartridges and put your Sumiko on the Technics and the Ortofon on the Rega. The Rega won’t be setup correctly and would need a 2mm shim at the base of the arm, but you could point this out to a perspective buyer assuming you are selling it.

If you swap cartridges, this would actually give you a bigger budget- you won’t have to buy another Sumiko.

If there’s any way at all you could stretch (ok a big stretch from $1k) to a Technics 1200/10 GR, I could recommend that without reservation. I’ve recently bought one and it’s brilliant. It doesn’t come with a cartridge though. Move the Sumiko over and sell the Rega with the cartridge it originally came with.
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Lol. Yes. Definitely a insomnia induced typo.

There is actually already a shim on the Rega in order to fit the Sumiko cart but I can't remember what mm length it is atm.

Good to know about the auto arm going wonky. Gonna do some research. Do you have input on how it sound in comparison to the Planar 3?
I feel like I read that Rega finally went to an external aux / grounding cable on their newer Planar 2 so I presume they've done the same on the 3. I'd till probably prefer a table that's a little less delicate but, at the same time, my big qualm has always been the way the cable was built into the arm.

And are their any other tables you would consider (Music Box, Thorens 402, ext)?

I do have a bit of flexibility on my price because I still get a discount at the shop my dad worked at-- so long as the table I decide on is carried by them (Music Box isn't). Which is part of why I am leaning towards an upgrade now instead of later-- my dad is 75 atm and his peers of many years are likely to start retiring soon.
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Lok. Yes, 1k. I'll blame that on typing late at night.


Lol. Yes. Definitely a insomnia induced typo.

There is actually already a shim on the Rega in order to fit the Sumiko cart but I can't remember what mm length it is atm.

Good to know about the auto arm going wonky. Gonna do some research. Do you have input on how it sound in comparison to the Planar 3?
I feel like I read that Rega finally went to an external aux / grounding cable on their newer Planar 2 so I presume they've done the same on the 3. I'd till probably prefer a table that's a little less delicate but, at the same time, my big qualm has always been the way the cable was built into the arm.

And are their any other tables you would consider (Music Box, Thorens 402, ext)?

I do have a bit of flexibility on my price because I still get a discount at the shop my dad worked at-- so long as the table I decide on is carried by them (Music Box isn't). Which is part of why I am leaning towards an upgrade now instead of later-- my dad is 75 atm and his peers of many years are likely to start retiring soon.
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I’ve owned a current generation Rega P3. It was honestly pretty forgettable. I literally forget that I owned one. What they cost in the US make them a pretty poor value proposition compared to what they cost in the UK.

I honestly think the Technics GR is the the obvious choice at its price range and one of the few that would make my list at $1000 more.

The Thorens that interests me is the TD-1601, but I don’t see it being worth what it costs- $3500. If I was spending that, I’d stretch to the Technics G. At $2k it would be a compelling option.

Technics/Panasonic’s manufacturing expertise and economies of scale allow them to offer a superior product at a price lower than their competitors. If that’s not the definition of a good value, I don’t know what is.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I’ve owned a current generation Rega P3. It was honestly pretty forgettable. I literally forget that I owned one. What they cost in the US make them a pretty poor value proposition compared to what they cost in the UK.

I honestly think the Technics GR is the the obvious choice at its price range and one of the few that would make my list at $1000 more.

The Thorens that interests me is the TD-1601, but I don’t see it being worth what it costs- $3500. If I was spending that, I’d stretch to the Technics G. At $2k it would be a compelling option.

Technics/Panasonic’s manufacturing expertise and economies of scale allow them to offer a superior product at a price lower than their competitors. If that’s not the definition of a good value, I don’t know what is.
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HiFi Guy said:
I’ve owned a current generation Rega P3. It was honestly pretty forgettable. I literally forget that I owned one. What they cost in the US make them a pretty poor value proposition compared to what they cost in the UK.

I honestly think the Technics GR is the the obvious choice at its price range and one of the few that would make my list at $1000 more.

The Thorens that interests me is the TD-1601, but I don’t see it being worth what it costs- $3500. If I was spending that, I’d stretch to the Technics G. At $2k it would be a compelling option.

Technics/Panasonic’s manufacturing expertise and economies of scale allow them to offer a superior product at a price lower than their competitors. If that’s not the definition of a good value, I don’t know what is.
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Okay you've sold me. Now I just need to wait for them to come back into stock.

Thanks for the help.

And I'll probs keep the Sumiko because while the cart has 500 hours on it, I had just upgraded from a Rainer stylus to an Olympia when the grounding cable went out.
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Okay you've sold me. Now I just need to wait for them to come back into stock.

Thanks for the help.

And I'll probs keep the Sumiko because while the cart has 500 hours on it, I had just upgraded from a Rainer stylus to an Olympia when the grounding cable went out.
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Cartridges don’t wear out. Styli do. Good plan.
 
debianlinux said:
Is this totally true? I was of the understanding that internal suspensions do fail given enough time and use.
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Let me clarify-

Moving magnet and moving iron cartridges do not wear out.

Moving coil cartridges will eventually wear out- where cantilever connects to the coils will eventually break from use. That can’t be repaired. Think about taking a metal coat hanger and bending it back and forth until the metal breaks from stress. That’s essentially what happens eventually with a moving coil.

@DownIsTheNewUp has a moving magnet cartridge so good to go indefinitely with occasional stylus changes due to wear.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Let me clarify-

Moving magnet and moving iron cartridges do not wear out.

Moving coil cartridges will eventually wear out- where cantilever connects to the coils will eventually break from use. That can’t be repaired. Think about taking a metal coat hanger and bending it back and forth until the metal breaks from stress. That’s essentially what happens eventually with a moving coil.

@DownIsTheNewUp has a moving magnet cartridge so good to go indefinitely with occasional stylus changes due to wear.
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Interesting. I thought they wore out but at a substantially slower rate than a stylus.
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Have a 2018 Rega Planar 2 but the aux / grounding cable ingrained within the tone arm went bunk. Took several months to diagnose because it started with excess and inconsistent pops / clicks (which could be practically anything). But then I noticed it was almost always via the left channel. And then the humming started.

Probably happened during the move to Chicago despite carefully putting it in the original box and putting it in my car instead of the pod.

Anyways... I sent to tonearm in for repairs and Rega's support team have been great about it. Same time, I am considering upgrading / trying to get a more durable table and then selling the Planar 2 once its back in commision.

I saw Technics is making tables again. Those things are like tanks. Anyone have any experience with the newer ones and have an opinion on them? Eying the SL-1500C.

My budget would be around 1000k and my priorities are

A) durability (I move frequently, have a unpredictable kitten and also had a Debut Carbon tone-arm go bad on me years ago).
B) reliable and accurate tracking
C) swapable component cables
D) ideally legs that can be adjust for leveling purposes.

I've been using Sumiko carts on the Planar II and have been really happy with them. Speakers are Dynaudio M10's and amp is a Marantz 5005.

@HiFi Guy I know you helped me back when the Debut arm went wonky and probs have an opinon. And are probably shaking your head atm 😂
Click to expand...
I also like my Pioneer PLX-1000 at under $1000 which also fits all the requirements. An extra $120 gets you the KAB fluid damper to improve the tonearm stability further (not required, but nice). Also has VTA adjustment, lacking on the Regas. Removable headshell, so cart changes are a breeze.
 
I'm working on selling some records to fund some upgrades to my system. I'm currently using some powered speakers that work for my small apartment really well. But I do hope to move one day and would rather set myself up for the future if I'm going to spend the money on an upgrade. Although I haven't completely ruled out just getting some better powered speakers and saving some money till I move. Also I really enjoy listening through headphones quite a lot to get the full immersive experience, and since my wife doesn't care for a lot of my tunes it works out well.

I've been leaning toward the KEF Q350s, but admit a big part of my interest beyond the reviews I've read, over say the Wharfedale Denton 80th, is aesthetic.

For the amp I think I want to go with a NAD. And am looking at the C368 and the C388. Anyone have any of these and can give some advice?

Also I'm more interested in getting a great amp than speakers at the moment which is why I've been considering these.
 
Hemotep said:
I'm working on selling some records to fund some upgrades to my system. I'm currently using some powered speakers that work for my small apartment really well. But I do hope to move one day and would rather set myself up for the future if I'm going to spend the money on an upgrade. Although I haven't completely ruled out just getting some better powered speakers and saving some money till I move. Also I really enjoy listening through headphones quite a lot to get the full immersive experience, and since my wife doesn't care for a lot of my tunes it works out well.

I've been leaning toward the KEF Q350s, but admit a big part of my interest beyond the reviews I've read, over say the Wharfedale Denton 80th, is aesthetic.

For the amp I think I want to go with a NAD. And am looking at the C368 and the C388. Anyone have any of these and can give some advice?

Also I'm more interested in getting a great amp than speakers at the moment which is why I've been considering these.
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I had KEF R300 speakers for awhile. Really liked them. Then I swapped for Denton 80th and really liked those too. The Lintons are the best of all three by far for me though.

I know @HiFi Guy raves about the NAD amps. He’d be the one to ask probably about the fit of the NAD amps with the KEFs you were interested in
 
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