Advice on buying a beginner turntable

[skroderider]

Hi folks, I am looking to buy a beginner turntable - I've read the previous similar threads on this forum (very helpful) and had shortlisted the Rega RP1. I had also asked the dealer about the "performance pack" - he informed me that it's not in stock, and the Rega Planar 1 is the replacement for the RP1 (which I am getting for 28k, because it's a clearance). The Planar 1 is around 36k - a bit outside my budget but I would rather spend a little more now than have regrets later. So is it worth is buying the RP1 or should I opt for the Planar 1 at this price? (and I probably have the option of upgrading the cartridge later for RP1, if I have read some of the threads here correctly?)

A bit of background - my dad had the HMV 1010 and my childhood was filled with its music. He had a small record collection but unfortunately it's not around anymore.

 

[sandeepmohan]

The Rega RP1 is a excellent starter turntable. You can always upgrade the cartridge to a OM10 or a Ortofon Red at a later stage.

On the price, 28K is about right. Don't get the idea that the dealer is doing a favor by saying its a "clearance price". I bought my RP1 for 24k 5 years ago. Haggle a bit. RP1's aren't flying off shelves anyway.

 

[Beast_of_burden]

RP3 is where it starts getting serious enough that you will not likely require an upgrade. Its 3 times the price though.

 

[Naturelover]

Do give serious thought on how you would be sourcing records.
What is your choice of music?
If it is Indian music, please bear in mind good quality records are hard to find and can be quite expensive.
Even Western music records are insanely priced in India with the dealers riding on the vinyl wave. You will need to source from abroad.
http://www.hifivision.com/phono-turntables/68374-time-affordable-lps-over.html

 

[soundbuff]

I lived with a Project xpression for some years. Worth considering.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Hi,

I've been this route quite recently. There are many considerations.

One of them is choice of music. If you listen to jazz or gazals which have relatively few instruments, a basic TT like the RP1 sounds good, but as the number of instruments that are playing on the LP grows, as in orchestral music, the music gets more demanding.

Instead of upgrading the cartridge later, check with the dealer if he will sell you the RP1 without cartridge or with a Bias 2 cartridge.

And you must be aware that you'll need an amp that has a phono in, otherwise you need to invest in a phono preamp and factor that into your budget. Some TTs have a built in phono stage and you may want to consider that option too.

Best wishes

 

[skroderider]

Thank you for all the valuable insights and advice. I decide to go for the RP1 since it's within my budget and comes with good recommendations. I bought a phono along with it. Any recommendations for good, budget speakers? I have a Sony SRS D5 2.1 that I use with my desktop computer to play music but that's very low power and I'm not even sure it can be used in this context.

Regarding music, my tastes span over old/new Bollywood, Rock, Heavy Metal, 80s/90s music (pop/classic rock), a bit of western classical. I realize that it's hard to find records in India, and have been looking at the online options - all so expensive

A bit of good news though - I was talking to my mom earlier today and she told me that some of the records from my dad's collection have survived. I found about 10 of them stashed away between sheets of newspaper - will probably need to be cleaned properly before I can play them again. They are mostly old Bollywood, Assamese/Bengali Bhupen Hazarika, and some Lata Mangeshkars.

 

[sanjivnayak]

Pls make sure you can find records of your choice and not play whatever is found.

 

[skroderider]

Pls make sure you can find records of your choice and not play whatever is found.

Thank you - it's a good point, I think it's easy to fall into this trap since records of one's choice are so hard to find.

 

[moktan]

I think one should have a digital rig for primary listening. For nostalgia*, some novelty value etc vinyl is great. Anyway that was my reason for choosing a TT. Used option too needs to be explored. Mr Jacob in this forum is a good source.

* Back in college a friend lent me his TT ( dont remember what it was). Played Dean Martins Houston for as long as I can remember. The sound was scratchy but magical. Later I downloaded the same from google music. The charm though had gone. But if I were to play it again on my Thorens I am sure that would be a kind of a Madeleine moment for me.

 

[sanjivnayak]

How about a Directdrive TT like Pioneer PLX-500.

 

[skroderider]

How about a Directdrive TT like Pioneer PLX-500.

Well, I went with the Rega RP1. It's my first personal turntable so I am not expert enough to compare it with others, but I'm enjoying the music

 

[sanjivnayak]

Well, I went with the Rega RP1. It's my first personal turntable so I am not expert enough to compare it with others, but I'm enjoying the music

It has been more than a year you are using RP1. Now I want to know how good it is going with RP1. Will you recommend me to buy Planar 1 ?

 

[skroderider]

It has been more than a year you are using RP1. Now I want to know how good it is going with RP1. Will you recommend me to buy Planar 1 ?

Thanks for asking. Being no expert, all I can say is that sound wise it has brought a new dimension to my music listening. It's a good TT for beginners.

Some observations
- There was no complex setup required. For beginners like me, that's a godsend.
- The wool mat that came with the player is a bit wobbly, and it makes the LPs wobble too. Washing it made it slightly better but need to be careful about keeping it between two flat surfaces after it's semi dry.
- The clear acrylic cover is a good addition to protect it from dust. But it is connected to the platform using acrylic slip-in hinges, I'm not sure about their lifetime. You can take out the entire cover while playing, or let it stay up (does not go beyond 90 degrees)
- The platter has to be lifted out manually to adjust the belt when switching speeds. I'm a bit scared that doing this frequently might damage the belt and overall stability. Thankfully most of my records are 33 1/2.

At the time I had bought active speakers with a phono box, which are doing fine. But now I am planning to go for separates (the active speakers I'll probably move to another room and use for something else). I'm trying to plan it so that I can add other sources to the same setup.

I am not sure about the Planar 1 - what I bought was RP1, which is an older version of Planar 1 I think. RP1 has been phased out now apparently.

 

[sanjivnayak]

Thanks @skroderider for honestly written views regarding RP1.