First steps in Vinyl...maybe !

[Gbeer7]

Good morning all,

Been toiling with the idea of plunging into the world of vinyl. What's stopped me so far is have a single record !
Been looking at the Rega RP1, the new model. Well priced at £225 and I would buy some records, maybe a few classic records and modern. My birthday next month so was thinking of taking the plunge !
Has anyone listened to the new Rega RP1 ? Heard much about it ?
Not sure i want to go down the route of stream players.

My Dad has has taken the plunge in the Linn stream player. Yet to hear it but can't help but feeling, where's the romance in it ? The album sleeves, sleeve notes etc. Plus i'm hoping the beatles remasters will be on vinyl as well (Have both the stereo and mono box sets already) and excited by having the big sleeves and art work !

What can i expect from vinyl ? Hoping to hear the warmth over CD's. (Not that i'm unhappy at all with CD's.).

Thanks,

[hifi_dave]

Yes, I've heard the new RP1 and it is an exceptionally good TT inc cartridge for the money. It's quite different to the previous P1, notable changes are the platter and a new easy to set up arm.

[chris@panteg]

I say take the plunge ' looks to be cracking value for money .

http://www.rega.co.uk/html/RP1.htm

What you can expect is a much more fluid and natural sound ! than your average CD spinner , with a more engaging quality to the music , go for it.

Start looking for some good 2nd hand vinyl as well as any new stuff , still plenty to be had at bargain prices ' just takes a bit of effort and rummaging .

let us know how you get on

[Gbeer7]

Thanks for replying. HiFix will sell me and RP1 and mini phono box for £250. Can't really go wrong with that.
Where do you buy your records from ?

[Alex_UK]

I'd suggest getting along to your nearest Rega dealer (Audio-T in Portsmouth? Make sure they have one on demo before travelling, obviously!) and having a listen before making too many plans - if you've not had much experience with vinyl I would say that you need to hear how different it potentially is to digital - especially as you are used to Audiolab kit which is in my experience quite clinical (in a good way) - (don't forget you will also need to budget for a phono stage as your 8000S is line level only, unless you already have something?) [EDIT - just noticed your post above re. Phono Box.]

I would suggest if possible you get hold of a vinyl album of something you already have on CD so you can easily notice any differences, as just relying on the dealer's vinyl selection may confuse matters if you are not already familiar with the recording.

Vinyl isn't for everyone, and even with brand new/clean LPs you will still get some crackles and pops sometimes, which to many of us old fogies is part of the charm and nostalgia, but you may find if you are used to the cleanliness of CD that it gets on your nerves... as might getting up to change the record over, particularly if you buy lots of 2/3 disc vinyl that seems to be common with new releases and only have one or two tracks per side.

On the other hand, you might love the interaction, the huge sleeve art and notes, and of course the sound, which isn't necessarily going to be "warmer" than CD, but will most likely be different to what you are used to.

(I'd go for a white one with a purple mat, but that's just me!)

[Gbeer7]

Thanks Alex, you raise some good points. My Dad has a Rega P3/24 so might be worth having a closer listen to his.
My other alternative is to go along the "stream" systems, but Vinyl seems to be a bit more magical .
I've re-wired my speaker cables to either mono-block at the moment as opposed to the tweeters being driven by the 8000s. Just wanted to try in. Does give a very full and clean sound.

[chris@panteg]

Thanks for replying. HiFix will sell me and RP1 and mini phono box for £250. Can't really go wrong with that.
Where do you buy your records from ?

Hi Graham

For 2nd hand , various charity shops ' though be careful they can be overpriced, always examine carefully , be on the lookout for record fairs .

Diverse Vinyl for buying online ' also Amazon is ok ' i have bought quite a bit of new 180gm reissues from HMV online with free postage ' not bad .

[Gbeer7]

Vinyl is very expensive new !
My Dad said 2nd hand vinyl would sound very crackly.

[DSJR]

Alex, no need to listen to any *new* Rega. They're utterly consistent and you know EXACTLY what you're getting every time!

Rega announced their new models online far too soon and left some dealers with stock to shift in a very quiet time of year. The RP1 still isn't available yet, but the deal with the Fono Mini is a good one. I'd still check ALL of the turtable upon receipt though, as we ALWAYS set up and checked EVERY deck we sold (Dual, Pro-Ject, Rega or Linn, it made no difference), fitting cartridges, checking nuts for tightness and, last century, Rega motor alignment, which should be spot-on now the motors are fixed in place. Now Rega are supplying fitted cartridges as an option to most of the range, some lazy incompetent dealers are just handing over the sealed, stapled boxes over the counter to unsuspecting clients.

Put it this way, the RP1 is regarded as being so good that it's unlikely the Planar 2 will be resurrected any time soon.

The Fono Mini is highly regarded too by those that know it, although it's beneath "our" radar here. If funds permit, I shall have one soon as a spare to replace the aborted AT PEQ3 project (which Hamish successfully completed ).

One final thing for ALL Rega owners to consider please, and that's their wall support. Rega's, being light but rigid decks, do seem to be sensitive to what they're placed on. The wall support always gave the best performance (on bass instruments especially) from these decks and can easily be configured for other purposes later on...

[Welder]

Hello Graham.
If your intention is to dabble a bit the above suggestion are fine.
On the other hand, if you want to make vinyl your prime music replay system there may be better ways of going about it.
There are a lot of excellent second hand record decks for sale on ebay for example.
It’s a bit more of a gamble than buying new but in general good quality record decks are likely to have had careful owners.
I’ve seen some great bargains with decks like Dunlop System Deck, Gyrodecks and even the odd Thorens TD series; all of which, I think, will give as good a sound if not better than Rega.
However, many don’t come with tone arms and this does add complication. A bit of research helps a lot here.
I sold my vinyl collection a few months ago. A great many of my albums were snapped up by friends but the remaining few hundred I sold in a couple of batches to collectors who advertised their interest in buying second hand vinyl.
An advert in a couple of local papers may be a better way to purchase bulk vinyl particularly given a great number of people are heading in the opposite direction with their music replay systems.
You can buy a lot of vinyl for £100. Expect to pay £1.50 to £2 pounds for more common titles in excellent condition. The vast majority of records are not worth very much fortunately (for you) even in near mint condition second hand.
Just a thought. Good luck