Rega P8 vs RP8

[Mr Pig]

How interesting. I can’t see it making any more than a minor difference.

Define minor?

Let's be honest, once you get beyond a certain level, and that level is actually fairly low, most differences in Hi-fi are minor, right? Yeah, we talk about huge differences but most sane people would struggle to see them as relevant.

Yes, I would say that removing the paint is a minor difference but it's a good difference and using the same criteria I would have to concede that the difference between a stripped and rewired RB300 and my RB3000 is probably minor too :0(

 

[DimitryZ]

Define minor?

Let's be honest, once you get beyond a certain level, and that level is actually fairly low, most differences in Hi-fi are minor, right? Yeah, we talk about huge differences but most sane people would struggle to see them as relevant.

Yes, I would say that removing the paint is a minor difference but it's a good difference and using the same criteria I would have to concede that the difference between a stripped and rewired RB300 and my RB3000 is probably minor too :0(

You are encouraging folks to end their warrantees and destroy their arms in the process.

Why?

 

[roach]

Squabbling about the paint on a turntable tonearm, really guys?!

 

[Mr Pig]

My MIT degree says you are FOS.

Yeah well my intolerance of your incessant droning says that if you keep this up you're going on my ignore list. I don't mind at all having differences of opinion with rational people but I really can't be bothered with some one who is dogmatic about something he has zero experience of.

 

[DimitryZ]

Squabbling about the paint on a turntable tonearm, really guys?!

Exactly. WTF.

 

[DimitryZ]

Yeah well my intolerance of your incessant droning says that if you keep this up you're going on my ignore list. I don't mind at all having differences of opinion with rational people but I really can't be bothered with some one who is dogmatic about something he has zero experience of.

OK. I have education and you have BS and anger.

 

[Mr Pig]

OK. I have education and you have BS and anger.

And an ignore button? :0)

 

[DimitryZ]

And an ignore button? :0)

I don't ignore folks on principle great majority of the time.

 

[Mr Pig]

Squabbling about the paint on a turntable tonearm, really guys?!

I've just ignored Dimitry so hopefully squabbling over.

The paint on Rega arms is as reasonable a point of discussion as any of the other seemingly small details that contribute to this hobby of ours. Cantilever material, DAC type, power supplies. It's all a collection of small differences which would seem irrelevant to an outsider but which build into the bigger picture that matters to us.

 

[Del monaco]

Define minor?

Let's be honest, once you get beyond a certain level, and that level is actually fairly low, most differences in Hi-fi are minor, right? Yeah, we talk about huge differences but most sane people would struggle to see them as relevant.

Yes, I would say that removing the paint is a minor difference but it's a good difference and using the same criteria I would have to concede that the difference between a stripped and rewired RB300 and my RB3000 is probably minor too :0(

I’m not debating by the way. I find it interesting that Rega wouldn’t include this if it does make a positive difference. Is it just to cover casting fleas, if any?

 

[Del monaco]

And doesn’t it just lighten the arm? Wouldn’t you get the same effect by just making on board adjustments?

 

[Mr Pig]

I’m not debating by the way. I find it interesting that Rega wouldn’t include this if it does make a positive difference.

They do, just only on their top arm.

My guess is that it costs more to polish up the arm tube that it does to paint it, seems illogical but that's my assumption. They've looked at the sonic benefit and feel it is justified on the top arm but not on the cheaper ones. Same with the tungsten counterweight.

Also I suspect they wish to retain a reasonable performance distance between the arms in the range. If the 880 for instance had a polished arm tube it may sound too close to the RB3000 to justify the price difference.

I'm guessing obviously but I suspect it will be along those lines.

The original castings were a bit rough compared to the ones they use now, what are were on, the third generation? Like everything else, the tech moves on. There will still be blemishes and colour variations in the castings and maybe there simply aren't enough castings that are perfectly clean to use the paint free finish on more arms in the range.

 

[Mr Pig]

And doesn’t it just lighten the arm? Wouldn’t you get the same effect by just making on board adjustments?

It does make the arm lighter but the paint also has a damping effect. Which is not beneficial. How many top flight arms do you see that are painted?

 

[pocketkitchen]

This is basically crazy telling the susceptible to join in.

If you want your perfectly good arm to be ruined, by all means go in.

Let's have @paul darwin tell us how "benefitial" it is to scrape away at our tone arms.

I can tell you from my time working at Rega - the paint does indeed change the sound and it’s better without. It’s also a massive pain in the arse to finish the metal and pretty expensive. The polished alloy arms are more expensive as a result.

I wouldn’t encourage anyone to mess with their arm though. Far better to sell it on and buy one of the better ones unless you’re happy to cock it up and pay the price.

 

[DannyWin]

The rb880 seems pretty good to me...

 

[dave charlton]

I wouldn’t encourage anyone to mess with their arm though. Far better to sell it on and buy one of the better ones unless you’re happy to cock it up and pay the price.

Was the removal of paint a Rega innovation. The RB900 on the p9 was painted IIRC and polishing started with the RB1000. Seem to think people were stripping RB's before the advent RB1000 (and using them on LP12's).

 

[Ellenor]

Just scraped all the paint off my Sme iv after reading this thread. Can’t hear any difference. Anyone know the paint code for an sme iv?

 

[PBB]

I don’t like either. Skinny may be best but I like chunky turntables. Turntables and their arms should be exotic. As effective as the Rega arm maybe it looks so bl00dy ordinary. Obviously my personal opinion

Could that not be some kind of audio exhibitionist syndrome at play here?

 

[MUTTY1]

Could that not be some kind of audio exhibitionist syndrome at play here?

Yep. A little bit of bling on top of all those boring boxes. Though mine is almost completely black bling.

 

[chris geary]

i was told my black ittok sounded better than the unpainted ones. I demand a refund!