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Hi All, I'm looking for some advice on a Phono preamp, I dipped a toe in the water of vinyl several years ago and bought a Rega RP1 which has done well for itself plugged into the built-in phono stage of my PM8005 Amp. I am a stereo fence sitter with a foot in both digital and analogue but my record collection has ballooned to 50+ records and I find myself turning to vinyl more and more when I want to listen to a specific artist or full album. So time to take a plunge and upgrade. So far I have settled on a P3 (I seem to like the Rega over the more analytical options) and an Rega Exact to tone down the potential warmth of the P3/elys 2 standard option. Trouble is I am buying blind when it comes to Phono amps having no practical experience. What level of investment should I put into this to match the rest of the equipment without having a weak link or over investing. Any suggestions would be appreciated as Phono stages are surprisingly difficult to research compared to the the more exciting components of a stereo. Also, if I really need to check out anther TT happy to moved away from the current Rega plan Current Gear for analogue, AMP: Marantz PM8005 Speakers: Vienna Acoustic Bach HP Amp: Schiit Vahella 2 HP: HD650s Thanks TwoDaysLate (Mike)

Hello everyone! I wouldn't be asking for help if I hadn't tried everything I could think of, but this is messing with my mind for some time now and I can't stop thinking about it, mainly because I either find a solution or I resign to listen to music with a background buzz. I also know there are tons of threads like this. Believe me, I read a lot of them and many of the things I tried were suggested on those exact threads. I also know that this could probably be fixed with a ground wire, but is taking the tonearm apart of a one month old turntable really the only option? Would it 100% fix it? I would like to avoid losing the warranty as much as possible. (HUGE READ AHEAD) I'll try to keep it as short as possible, but I don't want to miss any detail. I tried a mountain of things and still couldn't fix it, so I'm hoping some of the more experienced users here could chime in and discuss ideas/share how they solved issues like this one. My system is not the best, mainly because I'm using a home theatre receiver, but this shouldn't happen nevertheless: TT: Rega Planar 1 w/ Rega Carbon (1 month old) Receiver: Marantz SR-73 (early 90s) Speakers: B&W DM305 (mid 90s?) First of all, I want to point out that I'm not sure if the issue was present since I acquired the Planar 1 or if it developed in the mean time. I honestly can't pinpoint when I noticed it, but it was maybe a week and a half ago. The issue is fairly simple. I have a high pitched buzz that I can hear when the volume is at 25%+ which is not loud at all. I'm writing this post listening to music using this exact setup, directly below my son's bedroom, dial is precisely on the 25% position and you can't hear a sound upstairs. House does not have the best isolation either. Anyway, the buzz is there and gets louder when I turn the volume up. It also gets louder when I position my hand next to the cartridge or the back tip of the tonearm. For the ones who don't know, Rega does not use an external grounding wire like most manufacturers. Now, here's what I tried doing: Move the TT away from the amp. To the front, sides and back. As far as the wiring lets me; Disconnect any other piece of equipment from the receiver leaving only the speakers and the TT; Change speaker wire (the one I was using was crap, now I upgraded); Unplugged TT from power outlet; Changed power strip/plugged directly to the wall (receiver); Tried it with headphones; Tried it with different receivers; Moved rooms AND floors; Tried setting up the amp and turntable on different bases; Unplugged everything connected to a power outlet on the same room; Turned off the lights. Nothing solved it. NOTHING. It didn't even make it better. And yes, the TT doesn't need to be powered (or the power cord connected) for the issue to arise. Also, the buzz is constant and does not happen on any other input. Now, here's what helped a little bit: If I plug a RCA -> Jack cable to my aluminum phone, the buzz is reduced a bit; If I plug the turntable power cord directly to the receiver (it has a power outlet on the back), the buzz is further reduced. BUT, it is still there and it's annoying, mainly if I want to listen to music using headphones. Now, this is where things get worse (I guess). A friend brought his Pioneer PL-100 and Pioneer vintage amp to my place and we set it up on the exact same location: Rega connected to his amp -> Buzz Pioneer PL-100 connected to his amp -> No buzz So, issue might be on the turntable or my place, right? OK, let's take the turntable and my amp to his place. Different house, different area of the city (~3 km away). We got there, connected everything up and, you guessed it, same exact buzz. So, case solved, it's the turntable! Well, not quite. The hi-fi shop I bought it in is a few meters away from his place so we decided to go there. Once we got there, we connected my receiver, my turntable and my headphones. Guess what, not a sound. There was a bit of hum, but only when the volume was raised above 75%. And it was not the same type of sound. At my place (and my friend's), it's a high pitched hiss/buzz mixed with a low one. At the store, there was only the low one, which is not half as annoying. And only noticeable at 75%+ volume, which I'll probably never use. Btw, the electrical installation at my place is 15 years old. His is a year and a half. Both are grounded as far as we know, we're in Europe in case that helps (not the UK). This has got a lot bigger than I thought and I think every piece of information needed is there. What would you do? I can't enjoy listening to music and I don't want to throw the €270 spent on the Planar 1 down the gutter. I can't even use the warranty because they'd probably test it at Rega and say there's no issue, just like it happened at the store (I watched the test being done, I listened myself). So, any ideas? I'm at a loss and I can't get my head off of this, I could use some help.

Looks cool !

Hi All, I thought I would post a story about my Rega TTPSU, the wall pack noise and the solution I am embarking on... So after a couple of weeks living with my RP6 at the start of the year, I noticed an audible 'buzz' coming from behind/within the side board I call a stereo cabinet. I did a big search on the web to see what could be causing my issue? The first item of help I located was a way to fix the buzz that a TTPSU causes through the speakers, due to no/poor earthing on the case thing.... Great, a little earthing cable test did reduce the noise floor through the speakers, but this fixed a problem I didnt know I had, and the other buzz continued. Boo! I did some further isolation testing etc.. and determined it is actually the wall wart or plug pack supplied with the TTPSU that was the culprit. Even when removed from the power conditioner and plugged directly into another power point, the buzz was there, it didn't even need to have a load to make it noisy. Oh well, looks like I needed a new wall pack from the local Rega supplier, $55 and a few days later problem solved.............. Nope! The Gotcha moment: plugged the new pack into the wall, had a listen, and boom (or more to the point, Buzzzzzzz) The noise was less, but still there, in a brand new Rega wall pack. It went back to Rega for a refund, and I continued to live with the buzzy cabinet (which of course the cabinet amplifies the buzz) A few months on and many nights researching the options, again and again.... I have determined there are very few replacement 24VAC plug packs available in the market, and none of them appear to be 'low noise' 'Audio friendly' options. Only a couple of places seem to make an audiophile power supply for the humble Rega TTPSU, so I had to work out which one would be the best value for money as I could only do this once. The options I found were all foreign production options, usually made to order and with no real way to test them or review their performance without pulling the purchase trigger. The most comfortable option I could find was a custom PSU from Graham Slee Products, though the price was outside of my resources at the time. Swagman Labs (eBay seller) produces an option, but then recommends the upgraded version for audiophiles, again the price was creeping up there and still no comfort as to the result...... what was the boy to do? the buzz it is loud enough to creep into the Sennheiser HD 650 listening sessions these days. Well the solution. Contact a local Audio Electronics specialist and get him to test the power supply and the TTPSU to see what could be done as a local manufacture, thats what! So I had a chat with William from The Factory Audio, here in Canberra, and after testing he has recommended an upgrade to the internals of the TTPSU and make some electrical modifications to allow a lower voltage, higher precision , lower noise plug pack to serve up the requisite AC to the turn table. He indicated the TTPSU had only just enough capacitance to do the job, it was taking about 32V from the plug pack and reducing it to closer to 20V for the turntable so was wasting heaps of life on heat etc.. So upgrading the TTPSU and using a better plug pack was a better option than producing a separate PSU with all the requisite conditioning and control, only to use the TTPSU to do the last little bit. The best part: The price was within my tolerance, and is produced by a Canberra local!............... So hopefully by the end of the week, I will be able to further report back as to the performance of the upgraded/adjusted TTPSU. I am hoping to be able to report back that the unicorns and fairies have now been released from the RP6 in equal measure and the air and space around instruments and singers is life changing............ but if not, that the Buzz has gone and I am listening to vinyl with reduced noise. Thanks for reading this long post, enjoy the rest of your night Dan

Now tax time is here I'm getting itchy fingers and would like to do something for my 2 channel setup. Trouble is, I don't know where my next gains will come from. This is all focused around vinyl listening. I currently have a Rega RP1 that I have done some modding to- 24v upgrade motor Rega TTPSU GT Acrylic platter GT Reference subplatter White upgrade belt 2M blue cartridge. This is running into my CA Azur 640p phono preamp and then into my Onkyo 807 receiver. Speakers are still my Paradigm Monitor 7's and Subsonic MK2 sub. I have had thoughts on if my next move would be moving up the TT chain and either look at a new deck or better cartridge but also thinking maybe I should look into an integrated amp. OR do I retire the Paradigms as they are around 9-10yrs old. Would love to hear some input as I've never really played with amps outside of HT receivers nor heard TT's above where mine is. Thanks!

Hi All, Wanted to share an experience I recently went through with my Rega Elicit-R integrated amp. Official site: http://www.rega.co.uk/elicit-r.html I've had my Elict-R for a couple of years, purchased brand new locally, and always really really enjoy the amp. Sounds fantastic, and great synergy with my other Rega gear. I previously had the Elex-R, and the Brio-R. I find that the Elicit was a satisfying upgrade, well worth moving up from the other models. My listening habits are usually having a good sit down listen for an hour or two on a Friday night or weekend (with a drink or two), usually spinning my favourite records (using an external MC phono). Will also sometimes come home of a weeknight and power-up and have a listen to digital sources at low/moderate volumes while I cook and do the daily evening routine. Anyways, I recently splurged and purchased a new/different integrated amp. After enjoying the new purchase for a little while, decided I no longer needed the ol' Elicit-R So I put the Elicit-R up for sale here on Stereonet classifieds. It was soon sold here on Stereonet to a fellow locally in Brisbane QLD. Very soon after sale, the buyer complained to me that the amp was apparently switching itself off after a couple hours of listening. I had experienced something like this myself in the past. Sometimes the Elicit would switch itself into 'protection' mode when it would get too hot. Yet this happened only very rarely to me, only on a couple of occasions, on very hot days and extended listening at high volumes. I'm not sure why this issue wasn't more apparent to me? Maybe due to my usual listening habits, of only listening/using in short bursts? The buyer mentioned that he usually runs his hifi for extended periods (5hrs+). He was running some very neat floorstanding KEFs (possibly 4ohms). I did some searching online, and found some similar reports/issues (only with the Elicit-R, not Elex-R, or Brio), all the reported issues of overheating/switching into protection mode were fixed by simply returning the Elicit-R to Rega for warranty repair. Anyways, so I quickly refunded the buyer and collected the amp and sent it off for warranty repair (Rega has 3yr warranty in Australia). A couple of weeks later I have it back, and have run it for some long extended listening over the weekend just gone (was over 30' all weekend here in QLD too) and is now running without interruption. Although the top left of the case still does get very warm, it doesn't get hot enough to switch into protection mode. The warranty repair report notes: " Dismantled & adjusted bias both channels. Reassembled & tested. " I don't have much understanding of amp Bias adjustment, yet assume it was up too high/hot from initial build? Thankfully the protection circuit is there and no damage done. FYI: The Elex and Brio have no protection circuit/mode. I know the Rega Elicit-Rs aren't very common here in Australia, yet wanted share, and hear if anyone else has had the same or similar issues with their Elicit-R Also, my Elicit-R will likely be available for sale again soon

For all the Rega lovers on this forum, here is a lovely book co-authored by Roy Gandy himself. The book is on sale on the Rega website - http://www.rega.co.uk/a-vibration-measuring-machine.html

Hey, I bought a Rega planner 1 a few months back and have been enjoying it immensely. Just recently I’ve noticed it had a considerable amount of vertical wobble in the platter. I’m talking five or six mm. Moved the platter on the sub at five degree intervals and it made very little difference. Is this play deemed an acceptable amount of tolerance. To my mind I’d think not. I know the deck is a basic starter unit but I thought I’d be getting decent quality buying a recognized brand name. Any thoughts on the issue ? What would be the course of action to follow ?

Exciting times!

Hi - quick question I was going to list (sell) my 2-year-old Rega Elex-r integrated but my mate wants it. I was thinking 1000 was a fair price is that about right? I’ll still donate to SN as I’m an addict to the site 1000 a fair price?

I’ve been looking at a possible upgrade to my trusty green Rega RP6 with rb303 tonearm and upgraded counterweight by Michael Lim. Just wondering if anyone knows if the Audiomods Classis V tonearm would be a worthwhile investment? I eventually would like to keep this as my second turntable and would like something that would compete favourably with either a Rega P8 or VPI Prime Scout . Any thoughts and or experience would be appreciated. Till then, keep spinning and enjoy

Hey Guys I have an Oracle Delphi Mk1 with a rega RB301 tonearm with a garrott bros retipped HMC30 w/ Fritz Geiger Signature diamond on their upgraded aluminium cantilever. Yesterday the right channel dropped out - and ive found that the red lead between the positive pin on the RCA and the cartridge clip is ferkakte! I was pretty pleased with the wiring in the arm, and would be happy to just have it repaired, but if the repair will cost as much as me replacing the wire with a cardas kit - i may consider that. Anyway - rambling aside, does anyone have a reasonable, competant rega tech in sydney they'd reccomend? Regards, Ben

I'm looking to complete my dad's hifi system so he can once again enjoy his extensive record collection. He's been without a turntable for the best part of 20 years but his medical state means he is fairly housebound now and music is a large part of his recreation these days. His system is by no means spectacular but the 90's Jamo Concerts, Denon PMA-720ae, TU-1500 (thanks for the advice everyone!) and DCD-520ae are a lively combination that are definitely a step up from your average department store bookshelf scenario. My question is this: What would be a suitable turntable in the entry/$500(ish) range that would be easy enough to use and sound reasonable? My current thinking is something along the lines of: Rega Planar 1 Pro-ject Essentials III Denon DP-300F His collection is basically 99% LPs so changing speed is not really a big deal. Stylistically it's primarily Classical with a handfull of hot jazz and folk. Any suggestions welcome.

Hi all. Hoping some of you gurus may want to weigh in with some advice / direction please; I have an RP6 with Exact cart, upgraded with Groovetracer sub platter and Little Belter blue belt. I love it - rhythmic, engaging, detailed - so much so that my LP12 has been relegated to the soon to be sold shelf in my storeroom (controversial, I agree). So, now considering upgrade paths for the RP6 I'm considering one / some of the the following; Groovetracer Delrin plater (approx $700), RB 330 tonearm (also approx $700), NEO PSU $449 Fono MC preamp $449 Ania MC Cart $999 Alternatively, I could sell my existing RP6 for (say) $1000 and pick up a new P6 TT w no cart (that already includes the NEO + RB330) for 2K, or with a new exact fitted $2399. or with the Ania MC for $2799. So basically I could have a new P6 for a cost delta of a grand. I have my own ideas on what would give the best improvements / cost but would really appreciate recommendations from you all on what path would provide the greatest sonic benefits. FYI - the RP6 plays directly through my Plinus 9200 in-built phono stage. Thanks in advance. Cheers, Brian

Over the years I gathered a fair bit of info on my now long gone Rega gear - Planet II, Radio R, Elex, Mira II - and on lots of other models and variants as well. I was a bit - well, alarmingly - obsessed with the rough industrial clamshell aesthetic! Info includes reviews, circuit diagrams, circuit board layouts, Rega service notes, interior and exterior photos, user manuals, and some notes and info from forums. Not a huge amount ~ but if anyone similarly obsessed and/or suffering and can make use of it, PM me and I'll send you it all in a zip (130MB). Here's a very nice Red Planet (found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/ippinkan/) - sadly Rega didn't go further with colour. Sadly I didn't think of repainting mine!

I’m keen to get some views on what would be a worthwhile upgrade from an AT LP120 turntable with an upgraded Hyper Elliptical stylus. I’m keen on staying with MM cartridges and looking to spend up to $2k. Amp and speakers are high quality but I am unsure if the extra spend would make a demonstrable difference. Keen on some views and suggestions on TT’s that would be worth considering.

At home after listening to my REGA RP3 , recently bought six weeks ago....and gotta say I'm having a lot of fun. I've done the mystical white belt upgrade and noticed a small yet clearer rise in SQ. The TT PSU arrived on Tuesday and this has been a huge improvement... without doubt the RP3 sounds like another (better) table. I would say this is a must have upgrade for anyone thinking about purchasing the RP3. Frank Zappa's Catholic Girls is sounding so tight a precise. Ortofon Bronze cart is starting to sing after around the 50 hrs mark. I'm a happy guy. Just thought I's share this moment of joy!!! M

Hi all...... Been lurking for a while and thought I should sign up to join in on some of the chats. My vinyl journey so far has been relatively brief but here it is..... - parents had a secondhand store growing up and got into collecting records of classic rock from what I could scavenge from the shop - had various old school TTs from the age of probably 12/13 through to leaving home. Didn't know enough about it then to even care what types...lol - have had a rega planar 2 for the last 5/6 years with the grace 707 arm with a AT440LMa cart - playing through a basic sherwood stereo amp with built in phono stage Anyway, just about to throw a bit of cash my setup for a new deck, cart and phono stage. To be honest my setup has sounded good to my ears, though far from audiophile of course. And through the last 5 years or so I've had a few parties centred around the TT and its been handled by some people who probably weren't physically capable at the time if you catch my drift. I'm fairly sure the cart and/or stylus has seen better days. I listen to classic rock, blues, hard rock, progressive metal through to heavy metal and sometimes hip hop...lol. Basically over the years I've tried to glean some sort of satisfaction from any and all styles of music, often opening up my mind in the process. Anyway, I'm sure that's enough of a novel for now......hopefully chat you all soon.

I'm buying a TT this week and would like to get some advice. I've got it down to: an ex demo Rega P3-24 with external PSU for $799 or a new Rega RP3 for $995 I presume the RP3 will have the best longer term upgrade potential but I plan to live with whatever I buy for a while before making any changes. Getting the PSU in the P3 24 package seems like a good deal. Do the improvements on the RP3 outweigh the advantage of the external PSU? Any thoughts appreciated.

Hi Guys This may have been asked before. What is the first and most important upgrade to a Rega deck? I have a P5 with a Ortofon Kontrapunkt C and also looking at buying a Rp 8 or 10 as I would like 2 decks to use with different carts. Cheers Tony.

Hi Im looking for some advice, after a recent post I have decided to upgrade my amplifier, for my system. Current setup is miniwatt n3 tube amp, project tube box ii, wharfedale 10.1 speakers and pro-ject debut with ortofon blue cart. Im just not getting the power i need to run the speakers to their full potential. I have narrowed it down to either the: rotel ra-10 rega brio r arcam fmj a19 If anyone has experience with either of these please let me know. Also is it worth paying almost double for the rega or the arcam over the rotel ? or should i buy the rotel and put the rest of the money into other gear etc ? If you have any other suggestions please also let me know. Cheers

Hi all, just invested in the above cart for my Rega Planar 3. Sounds terrific, but I've noticed that the arm slightly tilts up towards the cartridge, as opposed to being level. Is this an issue? I know that some people recommend using 2mm or 4mm spacers underneath the RB300 arm unit when using certain carts, any thoughts? Thanks, Brad.

Hey SNA, I have a few Cartridges in my drawer that I had purchased to trial on my previous TT. I have now moved up a notch and have done a deal on an RP6 including an Exact, so my assembled backups are going to be on-sold or gifted depending on their relative merits in either the market or as an improvement to a vintage TT suffering from an overly layed back setup. So I will have the following Cartridges looking to be moved on: 1. Rega Elys 2 - Bought to tame some brightness 2. Ortofon 2M Blue - Bought because the price was too good 3. Nagaoka MP-110 - Bought to get the clarity of the 2M without the top top end brightness. Now my initial thoughts are that the MP-110 is the better cartridge for a vintage Auto TT with a heavier arm, the 2M would really up the anti on the layed backness and the Elys2 is a prime candidate for selling to a proud owner of an entry Rega deck? (P1 or 2) Any thoughts on this mixed bag would be great, and if I was to keep a cart in a backup capacity, which would it be for the RP6? Thanks

Hey people, I have just received my new (pre-loved) RP6 + Exact and started the setup process to make sure it was all working. To my surprise the combination didn't perform particularly well, and I have some terrible right channel distortion. The HiFi News test LP showed it up pretty quickly, and no amount of anti-skate could make it better? Thinking it might just be one of those problems that the Test LP highlights but may not exist in real conditions, I played Sam Smith to see how it sounded.... Again not great, there seemed to be some additional detail, but the imaging seems off, and his voice was 'odd'. Then on the first track of side B, the distortion problem surfaced in normal listening..... BAD. Thinking it may have been the Cartridge at this stage, I spent the next night installing and aligning an MP-110, expecting the distortion issue to disapear....... Nope, first track of side B still crap in all the same places. Now I am a newb at this setup thing, and I was of the opinion the RB303 is a pretty good arm with little that can go wrong ??? But I find it difficult to accept a new virgin copy of the test LP and a <10hr listening of Sam Smith would both show up the same issue that a change in cartridge didnt fix or even really adjust? Also the LP didnt have an issue when playing through a Project/Elys2 combo a month ago..... So I am looking for any advice on what to try next, and also looking to find some experienced face to face help in Canberra to try and resolve the issue. Some of the other things I am thinking might be relevant: I have a new NAD class D amp with a T9 Sub connected with the Speakon cable (earthed via the amp chassis) The Rega arm is earthed through one of the channel return wires, Not sure if this may be causing an issue through the class D, that acts like a balanced Amp? Azimuth or Arm fixings may have been knocked in transit? Bias mechanism is not working properly? Things I tried: Swapped the speaker cables to check it wasnt a damaged tweeter or speaker on the right (Nope distortion now on the left) Swapped and aligned carts with two different protractors Added VTW, Bias etc... Tried different mats, no mat etc... Things to do next: I will find someone who can play my Sam Smith copy to see if that's an issue. Maybe also have them play the test LP to see how theirs performs? Any takers in Canberra for this? Wait for the advice to flow from the SNA members