Turntable upgrade: Rega Planar 3 or Pioneer PLX-1000

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by punkmusick, Jan 12, 2018.

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  1. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    How can I identify that issue? Would it be something like this?
     
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  2. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    I'd want the Technics over the Pioneer too. If they were only in the same price range....
     
  3. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    Yep. Loose bearings which are easily adjusted. This issue existed on early production (including mine) but I haven't seen this mentioned lately.
     
  4. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    Not a reason to send it back so?
     
  5. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    No. You can fix it yourself in a few minutes.
     
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  6. Soundgarden

    Soundgarden Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bend, Oregon
    I'm really surprised to see that no one's brought up the compliance issue yet - in that the Pro-Ject has an ultra-light arm and the MP-110 is a very low compliance cartridge. Not a great fit at all.

    I have the same table (DC version + acrylic platter) and purchased an MP-110 along with a few others to experiment. The MP-110 was just plain flat. As if the sound was always receding away from me. I found much better results with a Grado (Green). I'm going to play around with adding weight to the tone-arm to see if I can liven up the MP-110 a bit just for kicks, but would suggest that unless you're resolved to get a new table that you'll probably get much better results with a higher compliance cart. Good luck.
     
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  7. decontrol2

    decontrol2 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    portland,OR
    I went to guitar center and opened the box in the store to make sure the bearings were solid so I didn’t have to drive all the way back. That was a few months ago and the first one I opened was solid as a rock.
     
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  8. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    When I bought the MP-110 I was unaware of the compliance thing, then someone here in the forum taught me about it. I heard this cartridge is not "very low" but somewhere near the middle, there are differences in Japanese way of measuring compliance. So I used heavier screws. All of this happened before this thread was open. I thank you anyway.

    However, I already made my mind that regardless of compatibility between Pro-Ject's arm and MP-110 the table's gotta go. Time for upgrade has come!
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2018
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  9. rblz17

    rblz17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    I own the older RP3 and a PLX-1000. I am sensitive to pitch and speed fluctuations so spent a lot of $$$ upgrading the RP3 (white belt, blue belt, red belt, TT-PSU-Power-Supply, Groovetracer subplatter, Delrin platter, dual pulley, etc.). Each upgrade led to an incremental improvement in sound quality, but no matter what I did I could not get my RP3 to run exactly at 33.3 RPM.

    At the start of 2016 I bought a Pioneer PLX-1000 and have not looked back. I have put the Pioneer through many cartridges but always come back to the AT33PTG/II. Speed stability on the Pioneer is rock solid. The tonearm on the Pioneer seems like a toy compared to the Rega, however in all other areas my Pioneer outperforms my Rega (IMO).

    If I had 5-10K to spend on an even better turntable would I upgrade? Absolutely! But I don't have that sort of money.
     
  10. Pro-ject does have some under engineered turntables, but it is learning from it's mistakes and moving up into a much higher class. A Pro-ject "Signature Series" tone arm is a giant move upward. As I stated before, not all records are created equal and may best be played with a certain kind of cartridge/stylus. Having the option to swap out headshells with their own cartridge mounted saves time and is much more convenient than swapping cartridges.
    Another consideration is that not all records were cut at the proper speed. Having a variable speed control is often useful.
    If a turntable didn't have a removable headshell, adjustable anti-skate or variable speed control, it wouldn't be for me.

    By the 'toy store' turntables, I mean turntables that look like they could have been assembled in someone's garage using off the shelf parts and are very sparse in features. Anyone can make a straight tone arm shaft, but making one with compound bends is an art.

    True audiophile turntables didn't usually have pre-mounted tone arms. It was up to the buyer to choose the tone arm and cartridge.

    If you are going to buy a turntable, buy one with the best usable features built in. Buy a well-known brand known for quality.
     
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  11. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    And you can do the same with the new P3 and it won't run at 33.33 either.

    I would have just upgraded the arm on the Pioneer like you can with the Technics, but the adapter plates for the Technics don't fit the Pioneer.
     
  12. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Actually, you can skip all of the fluff and just buy the new Neo PSU for an RP3 or new Planar 3 if you have perfect pitch or just feel the need for adjustable speed control.
    -Bill
     
  13. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Lol. Maybe this was true in the stone age.
     
  14. Minty_fresh

    Minty_fresh Forum Resident

    Location:
    B.
    That’s a rather loaded statement full of assumed self importance. It’s also incorrect.
     
  15. Soundgarden

    Soundgarden Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bend, Oregon
    I wonder how the Japanese means of measuring compliance compares to other means. Anyone have a clue? Or a calculation that can be plugged into a spreadsheet?
     
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  16. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    According to a fairly reliable guy, multiply by 1.7 for dynamic compliance if you are using a Japanese style figure at 100hz. Not exact but will get you close enough to match up a cart and tonearm. Experience of actual users should probably be researched as well.
     
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  17. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    True. But it wasn't available when I had my P3.
     
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  18. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    The difference is the Japanese measure at 100 Hz. Everyone else measures at 10 Hz.
     
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  19. Soundgarden

    Soundgarden Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bend, Oregon
    Learn something new and useful every day. Thanks!
     
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  20. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

    What he said mate...
     
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  21. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    There is no general calculation for transferring 100Hz to 10Hz, but for most 1.7-2.0 times the figure at 10Hz will do. This is due to that 100Hz figures are derived from tracking a lateral amplitude of 50mym, and looking at the least needed VTF; to track cleanly.
     
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  22. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    "If you have perfect pitch".

    I do not understand this remark. Isn't the purpose of a turntable to spin a disc at the correct speed? I could understand this sort of remark coming from the kind of people that buy Crosleys and criticise audiophiles, but from actual audiophiles? Since when did we stop demanding excellence and start settling for any old rubbish? How far off pitch are supposed audiophiles willing to go?
     
  23. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    Missed a zero, should of course read 'times the figure at 100Hz'.
     
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  24. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    A top class belt drive with proper speed control (and heavy platter) should be just as stable as direct drive but they have a different presentation. Rega have a reputation for running fast but the latest decks with electronic speed control (optional with P3) should be accurate for speed.
     
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  25. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    True, but the OP is asking about new units.
    -Bill
     
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