Setup with Rega Rp1 and $1500 budget

I was recently introduced to a friend's Hifi setup and I would like to build a setup for myself. After he realized how serious I was, he handed me his Rega Rp1. Now that I have a turntable, I have decided that I would like to spend no more than $1500 on the rest of the equipment. I have no problem purchasing used equipment

I have close to zero knowledge on hifi or any music systems so if there are any online references you can think of, please let me know. I'm never too old for school!

Thanks in advance!

 

Don't know what your Rega is equipped with but you should spend a portion of your budget on the following if they are not already a part of that table: A metal subplatter ($100) and a ceramic bearing($5), a glass platter($50), a white belt($40?), Nagaoka MP110 cartridge($100 - $120), homemade 1/8th inch cork mat($3), record cleaning machine($200) from Audio Advisor).

 

I started with a rega rp1.

One of the things you may want to consider is looking at the crown amps. You can find them on eBay for a couple hundred bucks. Which would leave you a lot more money for speakers and a pre amp.

Down the road if you get serious and want to spend more money you can always upgrade but the crown xls series are really solid

 

I would look around for a local hi-fi shop. If we knew where you were maybe some of us could help point you in that direction. Independent hi-fi shops are rare these days in most areas, but can be found in most larger cities. Many of these shops have some used equipment as well as new. You can listen and find the right mix of both to suit your taste and budget. By establishing a relationship there (by making a purchase when you like a piece or a system, not by listening there and then going away to look for one cheaper elsewhere), you will get better advice and acess to gear and services that best suit your needs. Ordering used gear can be a crap shoot both in terms of the sound and the condition. You get lucky sometimes and you get disappointed or even burned sometimes. You can avoid the pitfalls by buying something locally.

Regarding the RP1, I would not invest another penny in that. It is a fine player for its price but it has been carefully designed to perform optimally at its price point. Any money spent on upgrading that will be money that you will not have to replace it with a better turntable! I suggest buying the best amp and speakers that you can now and then upgrading the whole table later if you have the budget at that time. The only upgrade that you can make on the table and get 100% of your investment on is a new cartridge. That, you can move to another table, should you decide to trade it in on an RP3, etc.
-Bill

 

I fully agree with the above. Don't spend money upgrading the RP1 unless you are going to add the performance pack.

Other then that just enjoy the table as is. It's a really solid entry table. If you get serious about hifi you'll eventually outgrow it and want to purchase something new anyway

 

I had a stock RP1 for a couple years in my home office and it was a great sounding table for the money. Simple and reliable too. Do you have a vinyl collection already or will you also be building that? Before spending significant sums of money upgrading a table you just got (with apparently nothing to play it through at the moment), build the rest of your system and build your music collection. Many of the Rega RP1 upgrades out there are not going to make a noticeable difference unless you have a system capable of resolving such details, and the differences are generally quite subtle. If your friend is seriously into Hi-Fi or getting into it seriously he's probably been doing a fair bit of research himself. Ask his opinion as well. Of your budget, I would use a significant chunk for speakers and an equal amount for music. Don't worry about the new $30-$50 pressings, find a record store selling used vinyl and go buy 20 records for $100-$150 dollars. Consider an integrated amp or receiver that has a built in phono stage to save on cables and start listening to music! I currently use a simple NAD receiver and it sounds good to my ears. Buy used from sellers with excellent feedback. I would recommend buying a record cleaning machine. This will make a far bigger difference in the sound of your vinyl than anything else.

What type of music do you listen to, how big is your room and how loud do you like the volume? Answering these questions will help to narrow your speaker selection.

 

Just read Bill's post and his advice is spot on! There are a few hi-fi shops around me and they all have a selection of used gear that was traded in. A great place to start.

 

Thanks for the advice! The turntable was hardly ever used and I do plan on upgrading it sometime in the future. But as of now, I was thinking of investing on an Integrated Amplifier, and a set of speakers. I did visit a local hifi shop recently and they had a set of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 l, which I enjoyed. However, the rest of their selection included used McIntosh power amps and mono amps, and it did intimidate me quite a bit. But I do plan on visiting sometime in the near future! I would just like to study some information so I know what type of questions to ask.

My small collection of vynils include Jazz, Rock, Electronic, and Hip-Hop.
And the room I plan on placing my set is a fairly large bedroom, which I use as a library for my books, so I'm not looking into anything too loud to blast around my entire house. Meaning that I would like to invest on a headset as well.

 

Leave your RP1 as is, you can always develop it later if the hobby takes your fancy (so leave the record cleaning machines and save your money for now). Though if you were going to spend another $500 on it, you'd be better off getting a new and higher quality turntable as and when funds and/or the inclination allow.

However, do consider active speakers. Biggest difference I ever made was moving away from passive speakers and integrated amps to good quality actives (I use Acoustic Energy AE22 actives). Do some research and check in at a local pro-audio shop if you have one nearby - Tannoy, KRK, and Yamaha all have good models in your price range.