A little love for the Rega P9 turntable

My wish(ish) and I would love one to play Who and Bowie on, but we both agree it looks a bit strange when you're trying to match everything.

On another note. The P9 is probably my favorite TT ever looks wise. I really wanted one...then they discontinued it. The new P8 is super ugly (the Exoskeleton anyway). Too plain otherwise.

I wanted a Cherry P9...The P9 had a much nicer looking PSU, too.

 

Yeah not impressed with the looks of the rp8 though the proof will be in the listening. Logically makes sense to remove as much plinth material as possible on a non suspended design so long as rigidity can be maintained (which I suppose is the point of the dual bracing). The price point is slightly attractive with the Apheta, maybe.

The RP1 is impressive for what it is, if it were my full time table I'd prob replace the platter for glass, swap the subplatter for GT, and get a better cart.... rather than go with RP3 or Rp6. The Rb101 is really nice, Rega surprised me there. Could go far with that tonearm.

But really it was all about the Union Jack.

 

The RP1 is my go to 'entry' recommendation. Over ProJect and other offerings in the price range.

Apparently it sounds good. My dealer puts it on the same level as the P9 (but he's very price/performance oriented too). For 2k less that's a good thing to hear. Still think my planned Kuzma will be the way to go for the same money.

 

Kuzma's a great option as well. Personally, if those are your choices, I'd go with the table that has the best dealer support in your area.

 

I'm now considering the P8 after seeing it at my dealer today again. If I leave the dustcover part on it really does look nice. I like the fact it comes with a dustcover (not having to buy one is awesome). It cues smoother than the Kuzma, but of course not as nicely as the Amadeus.

They're all right around the same price so I'm hoping to actually hear them all side by side soon. All are from the same dealer so support would be equal on both.

 

That all sounds good. You seriously won't go wrong with either choice...

 

So the P9 is now history and the RP8 is the top of Rega's line. I have not listened to the RP8 but I doubt that it could compete with the P9. Has anyone done a comparison?

 

RP8's aren't really in the distribution channel yet, just starting to trickle out. As soon as we get one for review, we'll compare it to the P9...

 

Audio Alternative in Atlanta has one out for viewing. I went in to see it walked out with a Classic 1.

 

What led you to go with the Classic?

Lots of great tables around that price point for sure: Amadeus, Classic, the new Avid, Townshend Rock.

 

I heard very clean, almost flawless, tracking with the Classic tonearm (once dialed in, which took me awhile). Dead silent backgrounds. And very pitch accurate. Not impacted by the room. One of the only non-suspended decks I've heard that doesn't beg to be placed in another room. If it weren't' so damn big it would disappear. I felt it was a nice step up from my mid-spec LP12 (which I'm keeping).

I'm sure the RP8 is excellent, but I didn't want another Rega. I've had several, experiences have been mixed. I also don't think the RP8 is good value for money... at $3k you have, in addition to manufacturer and dealer profit... a distributer in the mix and pound to dollar conversion issues. The VPI just just far more table for the money (e.g., a Traveler compared to the RP6 is a knock out blow).

 

I have a NM P9 on the way to me. I am excited.

Should I keep the cherry frame or grab a black frame? Cherry is nice, but the black might be really cool...

Opinions welcome...

 

I love the black myself - have this in both my P9 and P25. Looks great with the P9 ceramic platter.

 

Ah, I now have a P9 to go with my trusty P25 as well... The P25 has cherry, so I think I will go black on the P9

 

Where do you get a frame of choice from?

 

Odd circumstance where a friend has an extra...

I might sell my cherry one here on the forum....

 

Here's a little something for all you fact fans: The correct name is the Union Flag, UNLESS it's being flown at sea when it becomes the Union Jack.

I did say it was little.

 

Interesting. I've heard British people in London refer to flags on land as the Union Jack as well. Has that become street slang of a sort? Also, what is the significance of "Jack"? Is there a story to that?

 

So if it's on Who paraphernalia then it's a Happy Jack?

 

Oh, yeah, I say Union Jack myself. Pretty much everyone does informally over here. It's wrong, but no one gives a monkeys.

As for Jack, I'm sure there's something there, it's always been naval, sailors were called Jack Tars (tar heavily used to waterproof hulls etc), and Naval Jacks as flags on ships go the world over.

 

Brits seem to be adopting their slang as "official tounge", somewhat. I couldn't help but notice the new Bond film was full of Britishisms, more so than any Bond film before. New nationalism at play?

 

No, not really. It'd be more jarring if a film about a British character, set mostly in Britain, didn't have British colloquialisms in it to my mind.

Anyway, sorry I started the digression with my Union Flag/Jack comments.

 

I owned a P9 for a good few years and thoroughly enjoyed it, only changing to something very different because I missed the opportunity to fiddle around with different carts, arms, settings etc. Rega are very much 'record players' and very good ones too, right from the early Planar 2 & 3.

The new RP10 will be interesting as will the rumoured anniversary model but unfortunately it seems we'll need very deep pockets as the uk pricing is rumoured to be around £20k!

I think my personal favourite from a looks, performance and value perspective was the old P25.
Looked like a baby P9 with echoes of the Planar 3.

 

If anyone owns a P9, and is interested in a different color frame, I'll have either an extra cherry one, or an extra black one, depending on what I decide to keep. Anyone interested in an extra frame, PM me...

 

Friendly reminder if anyone is curious... I'll decide on the color in a few days