Advice needed in Spain

[rob-in-spain]

Hi Guys,

This is my first ever forum post but I need some (sensible) advice.

I listen almost exclusively to vinyl and my system is Raga P2/RB 250 with Mitchell balance weight mod/Ortofon 520 ii which I've had for far too many years to contemplate. The rest is pretty much NVA (Inc all cables) into Blueroom MiniPods.
I want to upgrade my turntable but as I live in the south of Spain there is really no HI FI culture here and my nearest shop is nearly 130 KM's away.
After a lot of research I've come up with three TT's and would welcome anyone's opinion as to the best/worst etc.

1. Clearaudio Concept wood with Clearaudio MC
2. Nottingham Analogue Interstate Junior with G 1042
3. Well Tempered Simplex (not sure of which cartridge)

I was planning to buy a PSU to go with it and the Heed Orbit 2 seems to fit the bill.

Would all of these be a significant improvement on what I already have?

Any advice would be really helpful

[Daniel Quinn]

If I were you , i would hate the answer I am about to give , but here goes anyway

For the money you are to spend on those TT I would uprade the cartridge and the speakers firstly .

if i was to buy one of those turntables without hearing them , i would buy the clear audio for the following reasons .

1- i have read good things about it on forums
2- it as DC motor .
3. it as a acylic platter
4.it is better looking than the others to my eyes .
5. under no circumstances would i pay £1000 + for a turntable in which the arm is a golf ball in a trough of silicon fluid ala the simplex .

just my prejudices , hopefully other people will be along to put my prejudices in to perspective by outlining thier own .

[guydarryl]

Hi,
The only comment I can make is about the Heed Orbit. I use one with my LP12 and it has been spot on for more than ten years. Built like a tank, accurate and reliable.

[selby]

I know nothing about TT's but that golf ball model made me laugh out loud.

[jammy395]

Strange how Spain has no real hifi culture.........

Anyway TTs can be had on ebay for not a lot of dosh......Take yer pick, I would recomend a DD over belt.
Cartridge you mentioned Goldie 1042 is my long standing weapon of choice....A giant killer.
....Pisses all over yer Koetsu, Decca, ZYX's, EMT, Benz etc etc etc....

Well perhaps.....It is a good un though, and a bargain to boot.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Well if Jammy wont do it I will, for the money and the vast numbers that appear on ebay, and in Spain as well because of the Costa's disco culture, and that is the Technics 1210. It is not the best but it does very little wrong and is a lot better than a Rega.

[Classicrock]

The Heed Orbit will likely work with Rega but won't work with the TTs OP lists. Must have a 4 pole synchronous motor. I wouldn't buy any of those listed BTW. A Michell Tecnodec / RB202 would be my choice in that price range and you can add their own HR power supply later. The Well Tempered may well be better sounding but I am not impressed with the build (far east) and odd ball arm set up.

[jammy395]

Well if Jammy wont do it I will, for the money and the vast numbers that appear on ebay, and in Spain as well because of the Costa's disco culture, and that is the Technics 1210. It is not the best but it does very little wrong and is a lot better than a Rega.

+1

[_D_S_J_R_]

On the other hand, there's a hell of a lot of anti-Rega feeling here, 'cos a composite laminated wooden plinth, stuck-on motor with painted MDF platter (in your case) and one piece arm can't compete with an over-torqued, noisy supplied (with MC's) direct drive with a tinny sounding tone arm that rings with the wrong cartridge now, can it?

Since that above hasn't got anyone anywhere, I'll try to be as honest as I can. A Techie is almost bomb-proof, lends itself to all manner of upgrades and there's tons on the web (especially on AOS) about doing it up further than the well-talented Techie techies did I can only speak for the UK, but Audio Origami can sort the arm out and fit better exit wiring, a better headshell will help with more demanding cartridges and there's loads of mat and feet options if you want to go there with it. Prices for good ones are climbing now though!!!

I should also add that a Rega RP6 is in a different sonic league to a P2 from the early noughties and a 540 stylus would be ideal for it.

I have very mixed feelings about the 1042. It worked in a Rega 3 and we sold lots of this combination. Outside of this system, I really didn't like the 1042 much, as it sounded mechanical and tinselly for want of a better description. sadly, my practically new stylus was broken early on, so I haven't had to the chance to try it again with fresh gear.. The Denon DL110 works with anything though, even the deck you have, so don't count this one out.

P.S. DC motors are fine if they don't vibrate into the plinth structure and have ample torque to drive the platter round.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

"On the other hand, there's a hell of a lot of anti-Rega feeling here"

Perhaps you should realise that your infatuation with all things Rega is the distortion here, not ours. I am not anti anything but over hyped crap or average product. Rega comes into the average to good category, I can't get excited about it and I can't imagine why others do. It is not badly priced for a retailed product and it all works. My objection is entirely due to certain of their products being hyped bullshitted and shilled beyond the status of their reality. The two I most quote are the RB series arms and the Brio R amplifier, which are both OK, well the Brio R is probably better than OK. I respond to these sort of things as a counter to the bullshit, anyway I probably have 1000 times more respect for Roy Gandy than for Ivor Tiefenbrun .