Rega Dudes

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Dr Bunsen Honeydew
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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

Rega is (relatively) one of the good guys in this industry, and in the minority amoungst all the crooks ripoff merchants and bullshitters that occupy this industry. And Rega Dudes are good sensible blokes who mostly made good decisions.

There now that is the truth as to how I feel. BUT it will still not stop me taking the piss, or taking you/them to task if they create an organised forum shill campaign again. :naughty: :whistle:

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by joe »

I guess it's now safe to admit to owning two Rega tonearms.

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote:That is the point. I cannot think of one product they make that is unique or special or leads the field. None of their amplifier series sound the same or even similar as they hire different designers.
Where the fugg did you get that from? Terry's been there since the original Elex and Elicit came out in 1988 or so, unless someone isn't telling me something...
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

It's my considered opinion after setting up hundreds of the bloody things, that the Rega RB tonearms are actually rather good at what they do, and that is to allow the cartridge to do its job properly! There are difficulties though, but most in my opinion are down to the incorrect material being used for arm-board (more later on that) and also that the cartridges used (when the then new arms were condemned) were pretty dire in all honesty. The E & P77, MP11, R100 and later the K9, are all severely flawed in various ways and the RB250 and 300 merely reproduced what they were doing. People like Origin Live seem to actually make the arm WORSE in an attempt to liven up the sound IMO, by making them sing/ring along with the music. At least Michell make their add-ons superbly and Rega then assemble the end product for them.

I say what I do above because the Notts. Analogue Spacedeck, with it's collet mounting for the Rega arms, allows the arm to sing musically in a way few other decks allow them to. One of these decks with RB300 absolutely trounced a late 80's spec LP12 with Ittok - and in ALL the ways that the LP12 was supposed to be 'better.' I did this comparison a few times and it helped mould my turning away from the 'terrible twosome' that all but ruled the UK audio roost back then.

The Japanese R200 arm is a far more 'universal' product and I love mine, but on the Planar decks, it encouraged acoustic feedback IME, which the RB's don't. Current three point fixings may assist the mounting issues above and certainly don't hinder!
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

It is a crap muddy arm full stop, and that applies to EVERY standard type one I have heard, so it is IMO, I have NEVER heard it perform well until the last few years when the very expensive versions seem to work. Where as unless it has worn out or broke I have NEVER heard a bad Jap R200.

Regarding his amp design engineer, we are on first name terms are we :whistle: make sure you don't tell him how to design good amps or we really will fall out. I *thought* I had read that the different series of amps were different designers, if not then there is even less excuse for them to all sounding different.

Why the ferk are you getting on your hobby horse are they employing you as consultant or promoter or something. I have been very polite about them considering, so why the angry defence that is not needed. You have even in the past said the amp ranges sound different. Think carefully Dave or go to PM.

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Re: Rega Dudes

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_D_S_J_R_ wrote:
Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote:That is the point. I cannot think of one product they make that is unique or special or leads the field. None of their amplifier series sound the same or even similar as they hire different designers.
Where the fugg did you get that from? Terry's been there since the original Elex and Elicit came out in 1988 or so, unless someone isn't telling me something...
Now you see even you do not understand ad hominem. IF you had included just the last sentence then it is information. The phrase highlighted turns it personal, raises the hackles and creates a similar response. Talk about the subject!! as soon as you include the word "you" which i have to as I am replying then a chain of ad hominem is created. TALK ABOUT REGA! or Spendor or what have you, talk about the opinion being expressed, even be cross about what the opinion says but do NOT transfer it onto the person writing it.

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

joe wrote:I guess it's now safe to admit to owning two Rega tonearms.
R200s I hope :mrgreen:

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by brit-pop »

Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote:Rega is (relatively) one of the good guys in this industry, and in the minority amoungst all the crooks ripoff merchants and bullshitters that occupy this industry. And Rega Dudes are good sensible blokes who mostly made good decisions.

There now that is the truth as to how I feel. BUT it will still not stop me taking the piss, or taking you/them to task if they create an organised forum shill campaign again. :naughty: :whistle:
I think this was where I took issue with HFS. It got my back up to be accused of buying an amp because of forum shilling. Let me tell you it from a buyers perspective. I heard positive things said about it in the forum so when looking for a new amp I put it in the audition list. Given I already owned Rega speakers guess which sounded the best of the bunch? For me it was that simple, I guess I was influenced by the forum talk in so far as I made efforts to hear one to see if it lived up to it. I subsequently discovered HFS openly having a field day on the people buying them and putting forward that we were all pawns in certain dealer's game.

Well I didn't buy mine from him and went to the dealer who gave me what I feel was a fair trade in on some kit. I gave up on eBay selling years ago. It's largely full of spivs and chancers from my perspective. The dealer subsequently sold the kit for what I got for it so he wasn't double dipping like some do, I won't name them here but will say if you have to use a dealer then HiFI Sound in Stockton are the best of the bunch in my experience.

I do however wish Rega would ditch the dealers though, selling direct to their customers would make a good company great and they'd be better value too, it could retain prices where they are an improve specification accordingly. Mind you they'd probably lose out on quite a few sales resulting from the passing punter seeing an RP1 in a dealers window and thinking 'hey I'll get my vinyl out of the loft again'.

I think we can give them (and Pro-ject) some credit for the recent vinyl resurgence from sticking to their guns for years and giving the man in the street a simple turntable at lower than season ticket prices.

Remember the majority of music buyers and concert goers aren't audio buffs who spend their lives on forums getting all worked up about stuff :lol:

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

OK I will give my opinion that I have given before. Why are there such variations in British Rega tone arms (RB). Why can they select good ones for the top models and not so good for the RB250 and 300. Reason is because they are incorrectly designed for production. Go speak to SME or any good Japanese arm designer and ask them if they would use Die Casting for the main arm structure, they wouldn't. WHY? because every single one is slightly different to the others, every batch (as the tool wears) will be different to the last batch. Every batch of metal used in the process will be slightly different. The ONLY way to maker a good arm unless you want to select a few out of every hundred is to machine! or work with extruded tube mounted to machined components.

No one seems to understand this. The ONLY reason Rega do this is because they created a relationship with a local company in Southend to produce a tool for it to be Die caste. That tool is bloody expensive, as in 10s of thousands of £, but the actual production cost is then relatively next to nothing, and THAT is why it is done and why Rega make the arm available to all and sundry, because it suits them and keeps their costs down.

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Re: Rega Dudes

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

brit-pop wrote:
Dr Bunsen Honeydew wrote:Rega is (relatively) one of the good guys in this industry, and in the minority amoungst all the crooks ripoff merchants and bullshitters that occupy this industry. And Rega Dudes are good sensible blokes who mostly made good decisions.

There now that is the truth as to how I feel. BUT it will still not stop me taking the piss, or taking you/them to task if they create an organised forum shill campaign again. :naughty: :whistle:
I think this was where I took issue with HFS. It got my back up to be accused of buying an amp because of forum shilling. Let me tell you it from a buyers perspective. I heard positive things said about it in the forum so when looking for a new amp I put it in the audition list. Given I already owned Rega speakers guess which sounded the best of the bunch? For me it was that simple, I guess I was influenced by the forum talk in so far as I made efforts to hear one to see if it lived up to it. I subsequently discovered HFS openly having a field day on the people buying them and putting forward that we were all pawns in certain dealer's game.

Well I didn't buy mine from him and went to the dealer who gave me what I feel was a fair trade in on some kit. I gave up on eBay selling years ago. It's largely full of spivs and chancers from my perspective. The dealer subsequently sold the kit for what I got for it so he wasn't double dipping like some do, I won't name them here but will say if you have to use a dealer then HiFI Sound in Stockton are the best of the bunch in my experience.

I do however wish Rega would ditch the dealers though, selling direct to their customers would make a good company great and they'd be better value too, it could retain prices where they are an improve specification accordingly. Mind you they'd probably lose out on quite a few sales resulting from the passing punter seeing an RP1 in a dealers window and thinking 'hey I'll get my vinyl out of the loft again'.

I think we can give them (and Pro-ject) some credit for the recent vinyl resurgence from sticking to their guns for years and giving the man in the street a simple turntable at lower than season ticket prices.

Remember the majority of music buyers and concert goers aren't audio buffs who spend their lives on forums getting all worked up about stuff :lol:
A very valid opinion but doesn't take away from the fact that the shill existed. It was done at WW (where it got short shrift), PFM, AoS. IMO and others here it was obvious it was being orchestrated. The problem with your take on it was it was never meant to be personal, it was criticism aimed at those seen to be shills at the time, some doing it quite innocently just getting caught up in it because of friendships. In magazine land it is the marketing creation of flavours of the month by reviewers, in forum land it is done with shills. Usually little favour done if you write about it etc. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT *YOU* WERE A PART OF IT.

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