okay..deep breath...clearaudio concept, rega p3-24 with tt psu...or anything else you think may fit the bill..!!

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Hi, after succumbing to upgradeitis and trawling reviews I have decided to go for a new TT rather than a higher entry level used one. I have narrowed down to the above 2 and am looking for any advice which would come in handy...my budget is £1000..I listen to most types of music apart from Jazz...(just don't get it..!)...and my setup consists of a cambridge 540p phonostage, cambridge 650A amp into kef IQ5SE floorstanders...

thanx in advance..
 
I would second the P3-24 & TT-PSU suggestion. (Or even pay the extra £50 and get the P3-24 'Colours' with TT-PSU included.)

Depending on whether you choose the 'Colours version or not, this should leave you with between £400 - £450.

You can get the Rega Elys 3 (factory fitted and aligned at Rega) for another £100.

That leaves £300 - £350.

If you don't already have a rigid, levellable, light support for the P3-24 then Rega do their own wall mount for £89. (It is extremely effective.)

If you are listening to this set-up in a Rega dealer's, it might be worth taking your CA 540P to compare with the Rega Fono MM (or Rega Fono Mini).
 
thanx for the reply Chebby....I'm happy with the 540p considering i've just bought it.! I think the main question would be if the clearaudio represents a big jump in playback with my setup..?
 
mobill49:thanx for the reply Chebby....I'm happy with the 540p considering i've just bought it.! I think the main question would be if the clearaudio represents a big jump in playback with my setup..?

Between a £398 TT (plus cartridge) and one that costs £995 (plus £110 for the optional dust cover) ?

I should certainly hope it would be a significant jump in playback quality given the price difference.

You should really be comparing the Clearaudio with the Rega P5 (£698 or £725) with a factory fitted Rega Exact (£249) MM cartridge for a fairer - price equivalent - comparison.
 
Turntables rely on close tolerance engineering to sound good - this comes at a price. Differences between turntables tend to show more easily than those of CD players. Have a listen for yourself - just be ready to blow your budget!
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A slightly leftfield suggestion is a package offered by Inspire Hi Fi in Chesterfield

They will find a used Linn LP12 and fully upgrade it for around £850-900 and you can then choose your own arm/cartridge (they can supply a range of new and used). Have a look at their ebay store - they sound just as good as they look.

I live in Manchester and they were happy to do a home demo - they also brought along a Pro-ject experience Xpack which was demoed immediately afterwards with the same cartridge. The difference was huge and I suspect it would outperform anything new in the same price bracket, although I haven't heard either of the TTs you are looking at.

Ian
 
The Technics SL1200 is probably at least the equal of the Rega in sound quality, and much better in terms of build quality. Plus you can change cartridges easily.

It may be worth changing the phono preamp as Chebby suggests. The Musical Fidelity V-LPS is good plus features both MC and MM inputs.
 
cheers guys...all advice sounds good...think I will go for the clearaudio as I think it will system match when I think of upgrading my other componants bit by bit...really want the audiolab 8200cdq & 8200p...!
 
mobill49:cheers guys...all advice sounds good...think I will go for the clearaudio as I think it will system match when I think of upgrading my other componants bit by bit...really want the audiolab 8200cdq & 8200p...!

These look to be exciting new products - I've always liked how aesthetically simple audiolab kit is - almost like a sonic wolf in sheeps clothing.
 
mobill49:cheers guys...all advice sounds good...think I will go for the clearaudio as I think it will system match when I think of upgrading my other componants bit by bit...really want the audiolab 8200cdq & 8200p...!

These look to be exciting new products - I've always liked how aesthetically simple audiolab kit is - almost like a sonic wolf in sheeps clothing.
 
Hey Mobill

Just came accross this post while trawling the forums for info.

I posted basically the same question as you last week, stuck between the Rega and the Clearaudio.

What did you end up buying in the end and hows it working out for you?

Cheers

Andrew
 
Hi Andrew

Yes I went for the Clearaudio and had it since December. Fantastic sounding TT and really is as plug and play as it gets! The build quality is great and I recommend getting the dust cover. It really is worth the extra it costs over the P3 and looks better to boot.
Cheers Lee
 
Have you kept the Cambridge Audio 540P, or have you upgraded since getting the Clearaudio?

I had a 540P when I started with a Pro-ject Debut (£120 I think), and then continued with it when I got a Rega P3-24 and TTPSU. I then bought (after feedback on this forum) a s/h Trichord Dino phono amp and power unit from fleebay (about £300)which has taken the turntable to another dimension.

(The Trichord is built by Michell btw.)

Worth a though if you get a chance to experiment with phono stages with the Clearaudio.
 
Hi Dandy
I still have the 540P at present.Still sounds great and I'm not too sure about diminishing returns for upgrading the phono stage.Maybe when funds allow I may look into it again but after much research I think my next upgrade will be my last when I convert to the active speaker brigade!
Cheers Lee
 
I have a phono stage built into my Rotel RC-995 preamp. I read a lot of good things about CA640p so I decided to give it a go. I was a bit surprised to find that I actually preferred Rotel, much more than CA. Either the CA is not as good as described, or the Rotel is that good 🙂 Anyway if you have a decent TT, you should try something better than the 540p.
 
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