My new Rega RP6 - Pros & Cons

What was the problem and how far in with it were you when it started?

 

Actually it was two problems. Right off the bat when I got it home probably after a week the unit got no power. Took it back in and turns out a board was cracked, probably in shipping to the dealer or more likely just really poor QC in assembly. After about 5 years (I've owned it for about 10 years) there was an intermittent problem that developed where the right channel was cutting out from time to time. I think I took it in a total of 5 times to try and fix it. But every time they could not find or properly diagnose the problem, so I just had to live with the issue. I finally isolated the issue to where the rca wires go into the base. I found I could get the channel back by moving around the cable and pushing it in towards the tonearm, sometimes placing an object in there to bend the rca cable to the right. That would solve the issue for about a week or so and I could use it normally but eventually it would be back again and gradually it started to happen more and more. Recently nothing was working to revive it and make up for that bad connection. The last time I took it in I had the tech re solder all of the tonearm wires in the base on the table. But even that didn't work. So I finally just gave up on it. They gave me a decent trade in value for it, otherwise I was ready to use it for target practice. I did get 10 years out of the thing but they were far from hassle free. I swore I would never buy another Rega product but I really like the dealer and that's all they carry that I can afford, so I doubled down. They recently got rid of another brand I could afford because of terrible after market customer service. Geez someone worse than Rega is shocking to me.

 

They were very popular in my market. I've had 3 or 4 different pairs of over the years,
both the Sintra or Sorcerers on stands were nice, my Abbotts really suit my listening space now.
If i wasn't using my next funds for a TT, i'd likely get some Kudos speakers.

 

What country are you in by the way?
I like my REGA tables very much, ALMOST love
I have never had any problems as severe as yours (knock on wood) but suffice it to say, I am in complete agreement; REGA's "customer service" is non-existent in this country (the United States)
You have to go through an "importer" or "distributor" for EVERYTHING
What "good" dealers do does not count for me; and even they seldom, if ever, have any repair bits "in stock" (which is ridiculous; it's ALWAYS "we can order that for you")
I SHOULD BE ABLE TO "ORDER IT"!

Guess what I am finding lacking is "product support" not "customer service"
All the "service" in the World is useless if you don't have the parts
I should not have to go through a "dealer" to pick up small things like cartridge tags for example
When Steve Lauerman was the importer things were much better; I could call him and he always graciously resolved any need I might have had (I owned their CeeDee player at the time as well which had some "fit and finish" bugs) The dealer I purchased it from in San Francisco was USELESS; I still have the service tag from when I took the first "Planet" back which had died after only a couple of months; they wouldn't provide me a simple one for one exchange..............I contacted Lauerman and he over nighted me another player ("Planet"s were a hot ticket at the time, selling like hot cakes; big shot S.F. "dealer" didn't want to support MY sale (defective unit exchange) if it meant depleting his inventory; didn't say that aloud, but some things are obvious)

The current REGA importer is useless; I have attempted to secure some new tags from them and their standard response was "go see your dealer" (I bought my third and last REGA table, new, in 1999) And, I no longer use or need a "dealer"; I grew tired of the ("high-end") status quo and now build my own equipment, that or buy Vintage and do my own restorative work

Well my dealer in San Jose was useless as well, even back then (my last table, a Planar 25 came to me with a broken finger lift)
It was immediately following the initial release and a lot of tables were being simply ordered "through" the dealers; at least in this part of the World
I waited until my "dealer" could obtain one, "in person" at his store; it arrived damaged
He said I'd have to wait, the tables were in short supply from the "distributor"
Once again, a call to Lauerman and a new table with an intact arm was over nighted to me from Knoxville

Lauerman always managed to have any and all parts and tools on hand (and a guy who could actually effect reliable repairs to REGA goods)

Today? I have no idea where the parts are (or who has them)

REGA's website should at least have a contact method and a way to order parts for those of us who don't want to go to the "dealer" and drop off a table bought new in 1999, only for it to sit while they order whatever it is that might be needed

REGA's FACTORY "support" is nonexistent

I DO NOT KNOW HOW IT IS if you are a REGA owner fortunate enough to live in England

Steve Lauerman MADE REGA work in this country He kept the faith and backed up the product, even if it meant at his own expense

Him (Steve) being gone is why I will NOW never buy REGA again, ever, under any circumstance

He was a great fellow and a Gold Standard of what an "importer" should be; I miss him, God Bless him

 

Never understood spending $100s on a TT, only to NEED to upgrade it just for it to function as it should when new.

 

You don't "NEED" to do ANY of it
It is a perpetual motion machine..........kind of like back in the '60s with little toys (like Hot Wheels) or trading (bubblegum) cards
The pitch being : "Hey kids, collect the WHOLE set!" with a new set coming out every month.............you could NEVER be done (or still be "collecting" the "whole set" well into your '40s!
REGA tables are perfectly fine as they are
They are not perfect; the perfect table doesn't exist
I do agree, if the "requisite" things that one must "mod" or upgrade on a REGA "to "extract" the "most" it has to offer" (too funny) bothers you enough to do so, then why not just buy a table with a metal sub platter (for example) to begin with? Plenty to choose from
Or just buy a REGA arm and put it on a table that you DO like (or is peer approved)

The fact that should no longer be a secret anyway is that a REGA turntable is really only an excellent arm that comes packaged with a free plinth, bearing and platter
Nothing I see coming from them today says otherwise (and especially after reading all the "con" posts) here, there and everywhere
About 99% of the REGA "mod" nonsense is "monkey see, monkey do"
Thanks to internet forums it could conceivably go on forever

 

My cart sounds its best at 2mm tail up- optimized in every respect. 2mm tail up on my turntable = +6mm on a rega.
Even at +2mm, it still needs to go another degree to reach the 92-degree SRA "holy grail" as a reference.
While I am happy with the sound, some carts do sound their best at 92-deg SRA. This would mean +6mm tail up on my turntable, + 10mm on a rega. The Bottom line is that your cartridge likely has range of adjustment left to find possible optimization. Whether your turntable does is another story, but try it if you can.

 

A Wobbly platter doesnt need to be fixed?

 

That's a defective product and should not be accepted, or at least, returned immediately for replacement

If all of the horror stories are true, then I would have to agree; avoid REGA tables altogether or buy used (the original Planar series)

Don't cull the posts; I also made it clear that I have not purchased a new REGA table since 1999

 

If it was a lemon you should have got an exchange under warranty. Also if it was me that experience would make me steer clear of another Rega. Both Rega and Project get the most complaints on QC plus maybe VPI on this forum.

BTW I have heard it is difficult to contact the Rega factory even in the UK. The old school Rega dealers used to know their stuff but doubt that applies to them all these days.

 

Wow . Lots of other brands out there if you don't like Rega. VPI, Clearaudio, and SOTA all make competing tables.

As for how their dealer/distributor support goes, I had a wobble issue and it was fixed in two weeks. Table is perfect now and blows every other table under 2k that I've heard out of the water. I've done no upgrades to it. Having the upgrade path available is nice, I'm sure most VPI owners would agree. After my system is complete I'll probably add the Tangospinner feet and the Groovetracer sub platter and I'll have a great sounding table that will last 20 years.

 

Hardly an inspired list. After about about a dozen demos i gave up and just kept saving.
There isn't a table/cartridge combo under $4k that i heard that is worth buying.
A rega 8 with a good Dynavector could do, but it's not more than a stop-gap.

Shopping was almost enough to force my hand to go fully digital. Again, i'm not sure at all what
you guys are hearing that makes you satisfied with these choices. There is zero vinyl magic for me
when these mid price tables can't reproduce the detail of a better table and arm. A great table
is amazing - but boy do you have to pay to play.

 

Which specific TT did You have in mind?

 

Comments like these make me glad that I don't have such discerning tastes. It enables me to enjoy what I have and save some money. Try it DeRosa, it's fun!

 

I have to say, I find your perspective unusual. I don't play in the big leagues, but I've heard expensive tables and the gulf between the mid level and high level stuff is not as massive as you suggest. It's certainly not the case that the mid level tables are unlistenable.

 

If you have any substandard equipment you wish to unload on a fellow Torontonian, I am in the west end and have minimal funds listening to my RP6!

 

He owns (at least he "says" he does) an RP-3

 

"Pay to play" is a relative thing; but you can achieve extraordinarily good Lp performance for reasonable money (comfortably under 2 Grand..........IF you know what you are doing)
That's the big "if"; you have to know what you are doing

 

Neither does he

 

If by "level" we mean price tag, you are exactly right with your take on things

 

Sadly, it didn't use to be that way
Things started to go down hill when all of the above mentioned started to try and re-invent themselves and be something that they weren't
Their authentic (as in original) selves
It's a case of the bean counters paying too much attention to the myths being perpetrated on the internet for one
They all three have departed from what once were proven, substantive and well executed designs (and materials, that's the main problem)

 

When I had an issue w my rp6 I emailed their U.S. Distributor in Texas. They called me back within a few hours and had my local dealer work it out

 

Exactly...................they've got passing the buck down to an art form; and your "down time" (or for some, hassle, unnecessary car trips etc) isn't really relevant............
Guess it's too easy to solve a one step problem in less than three

Was this a warranty deal? Aggravating circumstances? What was the "issue"
How long did it take for the dealer to get things "worked out"?
I was just trying to buy a few parts without making a project out of it

Bottom line? REGA's current customer support sucks
(and not everybody that buys REGA is anywhere near a dealer; REGA should have taken that into consideration when they opened up their product to mail order but left things the way they are with the jokers in Texas)

I've yet to see a "terms of warranty" in print, with any REGA product (something meaningful, with real details) There is NO continuity or uniformity with what you can expect; it's pick a card, any card when you buy REGA nowadays

You might expect that, or be able to be "OK" with it with a no name, boutique name or small outfit, but with REGA? It's crap that they still operate like some rinky dink Mom and Pop's with the market share they enjoy...........or maybe the share they're steadily losing, what with all the new flavors every few years? Trying to remain relevant with bright new paint jobs?

I want a new belt drive here for my Son upon his return from Afghanistan, and I want it to be a REGA but with the current situation and the current "distributor" it ain't going to happen

 

Woah Nellie.

Rega had some bad carts for a couple of months . They sent a new batch to my local dealer and then a tech from the dealer came to my house replaced and set it up again.

Very satisfied and sounds realky good

 

My RP6 and ortofon 2m black (still) sound great since the day I set them up 3 years ago (with across country move in between).