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Turntable upgrade. Rega P3 to P6 or to Origin Live Aurora/Silver tonearm?

And there's also some individuals that recommend the record player they now have despite previously saying their last record player was much better when they owned it:rolleyes: you know who you are, lol;)

He's talking about me! ;0)

So to clarify. I used LP12s for thirty year but wanted a simpler, plug and play deck so I bought a Rega RP10. In Hi-Fi terms, detail, pitch stability, noise floor etc the RP10 was much better but it sounded cold, sterile and emotionless. I assumed it would just take the right cartridge or a few tweaks to get it sounding the way I wanted but after two years I realized that's just the way the deck sounds and I gave up.

I built myself another LP12 but upped the spec a bit on what I had before and I adore it! There is zero I miss about the RP10, nothing at all, and the LP12 gets to the soul of the music in a way the Rega never could. The RP10 was great Hi-Fi, the LP12 is music. That's the best way I can put it.
 
Just out of interest how many different cartridges did you try?

Ten. May have been one or two more but ten at least. Mostly carts I knew well and which all worked fine on other decks.

I spoke to two Linn/Rega dealers and they both said the same thing. It doesn't matter what cart you fit, that's just what the deck sounds like. One of the dealers said they won't sell them. They'll sell the cheaper Regas but not the 'plastic' ones. The other dealer said they're good decks but people don't buy them. If they dem the deck against a Majik LP12 they invariably buy the LP12. He also said that the staff in the shop could use any deck they liked but every one of them has an LP12 with a Dynavector cartridge on it.

The best match on the RP10 was the Exact. Still not right but it suited the deck the best. Same cart however sounds fantastic on the new LP12!
 
And for completeness… I am the delighted owner of Mr Pig’s “cast off” RP10! To me, it reveals the soul of the music rather than imposing its own soul on whatever is played.

I suspect that Rega and Linn turntable owners already know that they are highly unlikely to convert the other tribe to their own. Partly because we prioritise different aspects of music reproduction but partly also, I suspect, because we have selected our cart, phono stage, amp, speakers to get the best out of our turntable of choice. Putting a Rega where an LP12 used to be is almost bound to result in a hard, clinical sound just like putting an LP12 into a Rega-optimised system is likely to result in something sounding too soft/rounded. Live and let live and all that…
 
I've only ever heard the original TOTR Rega with the ceramic platter whenever it was introduced about 15 or 20? Years ago, it sounded good with Denny's (the dealer) own personal Lyra but actually sounded nicer (to my ears) with my Glider. Tonearm effective mass may have been a contributing factor, I'd be really interested to hear some of the new Rega MCs.
 
He's talking about me! ;0)

So to clarify. I used LP12s for thirty year but wanted a simpler, plug and play deck so I bought a Rega RP10. In Hi-Fi terms, detail, pitch stability, noise floor etc the RP10 was much better but it sounded cold, sterile and emotionless. I assumed it would just take the right cartridge or a few tweaks to get it sounding the way I wanted but after two years I realized that's just the way the deck sounds and I gave up.

I built myself another LP12 but upped the spec a bit on what I had before and I adore it! There is zero I miss about the RP10, nothing at all, and the LP12 gets to the soul of the music in a way the Rega never could. The RP10 was great Hi-Fi, the LP12 is music. That's the best way I can put it.

Glad it worked out ok for you, albeit with a long journey to discover that you still like the LP12!
 
Glad it worked out ok for you, albeit with a long journey to discover that you still like the LP12!

Yeah, it was a bit of a detour but the deck I have now is just lovely. It retains the fullness and lyricism we all loved about older Linns but adds depth and detail that I've not had out of an LP12 before. Very encouraging.

Going back to the LP12 was not a hard decision to make. What the Linn is really good at is making you love the music. For thirty years I've had so many great times with the LP12, so many pieces of music I've fallen in love with. The RP10 just didn't do that.
 
Going back to the LP12 was not a hard decision to make. What the Linn is really good at is making you love the music. For thirty years I've had so many great times with the LP12, so many pieces of music I've fallen in love with. The RP10 just didn't do that.

What spec of LP12/arm/cart did you end up with out of interest?
 
What spec of LP12/arm/cart did you end up with out of interest?

It's a 2018 mechanics kit, Cirkus bearing, Majik PSU, Stack Audio Tenor sub-chassis with a Linn armboard, Rega RB3000 and I'm using a Rega Exact just now.

The Majik PSU was intended as just a means to get the deck up and running but I'm struggling to fault it. I've always felt the basic LP12/Ariston PSU had a nice bouncy sound to it and I do think the Majik shares that. I also came up with a new way to dress the Rega arm cable as I think that's really important for good speed stability on the LP12. And the deck has really good speed stability, surprisingly good actually.

But I think the real uptick in performance comes from the Stack alloy sub-chassis and the RB3000. I read all I could find about alloy sub-chassis and the upshot seemed to be that while they do sound a little different, they're all good and all sound much better than the stock steel one. With the Stack Tenor only costing £200 it looked like great value. And I think it is.

A lot of people shy away from putting Rega arms on the LP12 which is a shame as they can be great. The RB3000 is a fantastic arm. Very dynamic, clean and neutral but without being at all dull. You feel you're getting the best out of whatever cartridge you put on it. The RB2000 on the RP10 was the same but you had the cold sound of the deck under it. Take that away and add the weight and depth of the LP12 and you've got one helluva record player.

Plan on upgrading the cartridge. Had planned on upgrading the PSU, to a Lingo 4, but I'm struggling to justify it. The decks sounds so nice as it is.
 
I think the best answer is to try to dem a few decks and that may give you the answer.

There is certainly logic to buying used as you won’t lose much (if any) money if you want to move it on. Plus you are likely to end up with a better deck for the same money. That could be a LP12 but also a plethora of other highly competent decks too. More of a gamble I guess in terms of hitting the right one for you but ultimately could pay dividends.
 
If you see yourself listening to vinyl for the next 10 years, ok upgrade your tt, your money maybe better spent on other parts of your system if not. Ok so you still want to upgrade, then my suggestion would be the Amazon tt in the ads at present, not uk made, but German engineering :)
I do make a quote on his for sale thread, wishing I'd sold my LP12 when hearing one and since then I remember someone describing it as the reliable Pink Triangle, can't think of a better compliment
 
Can you tell me exactly what brands and models of cartridges you tried on the Rega please?

If I remember correctly:

Ortofon 2M Black
Ortofon 510 MkII
Ortofon 540 MkII
Ortofon VMS 20e MKII
Audio Technica AT-3600L (Rega Carbon)
Audio Technica AT-VM95c
Audio Technica AT-VM95e
Audio Technica AT-OC9 MLII
Rega Exact
Denon DL-103
Grado Prestige Green2

There may have been others but nothing significant. I may have put a Bias on it. Before someone says 'Ah, you didn't try an 'X' on it' the above represents a petty wide selection of cartridge flavors and are almost all carts I've used happily on other turntables. The best match was the Exact but even that sounds a heck of a lot better on the LP12.
 


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