crusaderlord

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I was one of the generation that sold their vinyl in the 90's and replaced everything on cd. To be honest i havent worried too much since but the recent vinyl uplift and limited edition releases have led me to acquire a handful (such as Kate Bush) just because owning a limited edition gatefold lp is still cool. Anyway as my wife uses the main lounge all the time i was given the green light to set up a conservatory digital system which was a Denon Piccolo and Tangent Evo speakers.

I have been thinking of adding another source and watching a few rega auctions over about 12 months but never actually bid. This week was my first work break in 6 months and at the weekend a local seller put up a RP1 which i decided to buy as i could collect and try out this week. If i am honest i would have loved a new RP3 but £525 new felt too much to add to a Denon Piccolo amplifier.

Collecting the RP1 and set it up - i dont have a phono stage and this was sold with a budget B-Tech BT26 which at least enabled me to set up and play. It isnt quite standard as it also has with - SRM acrylic platter and isolation pads, white belt, bias 2 cartridge, ceramic bearing and a top bracer. If there is any downside the lid has some marks when in sunlight but it isnt too bad. But i liked how it looked and it wasnt a black table (my wifes one specific request).

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It actually sounds pretty amazing, whilst it isnt supposed to be in my main system it is there at the moment and gives my expensive CD player a decent run for its money. I will give a while to see if the bug lasts, it is enjoyable to play records again.

My question or feedback would be whether to bother upgrading anything else. It doesnt feel that necessary for the 2nd system but a better phono stage is i expect the way to go (any opinions on which ?). I may of course get sucked into buying a better table one day - maybe this is pretty close to an RP3 now anyway which isnt bad for £275 all in with a basic phono box (so far). I expect i could get my money back if did sell to upgrade one day.

Would be great to hear from more vinyl experts. My next door neighbour has a Rega Planar 2 with the wooden trim which i always liked but i think mine may sound better to be honest - i will have to take it round a do a back to back test i think.
 

DIB

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Sounds like a good deal to me.

I used to have an old P3 a few years back and that was a very decent performer. That came with a Bias cartridge which I managed to destroy through my own stupidity. However I replaced it with a Ortofon 2M Blue and the uplift in performance was quite marked.

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Sounds like your TT is very good as it stands. Rather than upgrade it I would tend to follow other posters here and simply upgrade the cartridge (I never got on with those cheap Rega's, or any Rega come to that) and / or the phono preamp. I believe these would give you more 'bangs for your bucks' than changing the spinner itself.

Enjoy! I still am as I actually kept all of my vinyl that was in good condition most of it has now been professionally cleaned but still some way to go on that front. Next off to the cleaners is Frank Zappa's 'Shut up and play your guitar' box set which I haven't heard for ages. :)
 

DIB

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Al ears said:
Enjoy! I still am as I actually kept all of my vinyl that was in good condition most of it has now been professionally cleaned but still some way to go on that front. Next off to the cleaners is Frank Zappa's 'Shut up and play your guitar' box set which I haven't heard for ages. :)

Out of interest, how much are you paying for the cleaning?

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Lost Angeles

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If your conservatory is anything like ours which is North facing I wouldn't recommend storing any albums in there or even playing them in the summer in direct sunlight or you'll soon turn them into ashtrays.
If your conservatory faces South it'll be even worse.
Enjoy.
 
Lost Angeles said:
If your conservatory is anything like ours which is North facing I wouldn't recommend storing any albums in there or even playing them in the summer in direct sunlight or you'll soon turn them into ashtrays.If your conservatory faces South it'll be even worse.Enjoy.

A very good point, mine can be a bit of a greenhouse at times.

Last time I took lps to be cleaned he was charging £1 per single l.p., that was a while ago though.
 

crusaderlord

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Yes good point . I would never leave or store vinyl in the conservatory. It wont be in daily use so id possibly just bring out at weekends or something . I have also invested in some half price Neat Iota's second hand which is probably (i hope) going to be more of an upgrade than any more turntable tweaks. I am trying to get my second system to sound a bit less second rate to my main one so that it encourages me to be happy when i cant access the main one. I have been enjoying playing some of my vinyl (i only have 10 records at the moment) and some have been played for the first time.
 

crusaderlord

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Amazing how it differs. I have spent a couple of days now playing the few records i own - my collection is a bit specific given i only ever bought a few even without having anything to play them just because i wanted the album / cover. Anyway a few thoughts ....

Kate Bush - one of my favourite artists to be honest and the reason i wanted a few pieces of vinyl in the first place. The first editions i have (bought ages ago) of Lionheart and Never For Ever sound amazing - and of everything i have played the latter is probably the best sounding of all and better than the 180g vinyl (sounds so alive). Also hardly any surface noise on either so i got lucky when i bought those. Sensual World 180g was delivered today and is so quiet that i forgot i was playing a vinyl while it was on. Great sounding record quality wise. My marble 180g copy of Hounds of Love was a slight let down, a quieter mix but also quite a bit of crackles and some slight sibilence i thought too in places - a bit strange for an unplayed 180g item. I also have a copy of Aeriel which i bought at release along with the CD (it goes for over £150 now - wow) - not played it yet.

Genesis - original or very early editions (i think) of Trick of the Tail and And Then There Were Three, these sounded pretty good mastering wise but came with quite a bit of noise despite looking pretty clear of scratches - not surprising i suppose given their age and i have no knowledge of their previous history of being played.

Gary Numan - two 180g records from vinyl180 which sounded excellent - Pleasure Principle has hardly any noise with Replicas have some occasional clicks. Both i am pleased with though.

I still have a few more to try out before i likely start to buy one or two new items. Happy so far - i like the experience again of playing a record with the gatefold sleeve open and readable lyrics (ah my youth has returned).
 

Waxy

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My LPs stay in a south facing room that has the blinds drawn by default. I was fortunate that I didn't get rid of my vinyl. It stayed on the shelf unplayed at my Dad's place after I moved out. When he died, I retrieved it along with a few gems of his I never realised he had. I've built up a decent collection over the last 25 years, maybe 800 LPs altogether. If things at work pan out as I hope in the next few weeks, I think I may get myself an Okki Nokki and get cleaning!
 

Waxy

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I've been working from home every Thursday for the last year. For probably about the last 6 months, I've been taking an extended lunch break and popping to my local record shop... it's rare I leave without something under my arm! More shelving required... Not a popular move with " the boss".
 

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