Groovetracer subplatter and P3-24 a Home Run!

I've been listening to the new Rega P3-24 with the external power supply for a couple of weeks now and it is a substantial upgrade over the original P3..

Just to be wacky, I've been using it with the Apehta cartridge, which is quite a stunning combination.

But the good news is that my Groovetracer subplatter arrived the other day! I've had excellent luck with these in the past, but with the new P3, the diff is not at all subtle. This takes about 5 min to change and really transforms the P3-24. Bass is deeper and more solid. Thanks to Frank's bearing, the noise floor is lower and a pretty big level of haze/grain is lifted.

If you are considering a new P3-24, or have already bought one, this is a MUST BUY! Two thumbs up! For about 200 bucks you have a whole new turntable... (that is definitely knocking on the doors of a stock P5, maybe even a touch more detailed...)

 

Great to hear, Jeff! Was it the standard or deluxe Groovetracer subplatter that you tried?

I emailed Frank a couple of weeks ago and he told me that he was sold out of these but he was going to be making more platters and subplatters soon. I really can't wait to try one of these!

 

TONEPUB:
Likewise, it transformed my Planar 2 to another level. Frank's sub platter is certainly a thing of beauty. The finish on this piece is first class, and there can be no comparison whatsoever with the stock piece it replaced. The ruby ball bearing and sapphire interface is the icing on the cake and the integrated piece just reeks high end.
The man is wonderful to work with. He took the initiative to exchange a 12mm glass platter he had on hand (and absorbed the cost of shipping it to me) for my 10mm platter because of my concerns over proper VTA. He wanted everything to be perfect. I'd have to say he succeeded.
Now that I have replaced the end stub on my Rega arm, I will soon purchase the Groovetracer Counterweight. For me, it's really a no-brainer: here is a gentleman who has set a very high standard for himself and his products, and we are the lucky few who benefit.

 

I wish I had spent the extra $ on the sapphire, just so I could tell friends my TT has sapphire.

 

On a Rega turntable, the subplatter is the little thing that runs off the motor pulley via the belt. The platter sits on top of it. In the lower end Rega tables they are stamped out of plastic and are somewhat out of round. The P7 and P9 use a stainless (or is it aluminum...) subplatter that is machined to a much better tolerance.

This gives you better pitch accuracy because it isn't making the record go out of round as it spins.

Frank at Groovetracer also gives you a sapphire bearing, which helps to drop the noise floor quite a bit.

I had the deluxe one and it is a great upgrade to the P3-24. Between Franks goodies and the upgraded power supply, no more saying the P3 doesn't have enough bass or sounds "thin"

Again, hats off to Groovetracer, Frank is a perfectionist!!

 

Actually, the bearing is ruby, The sapphire is adhered to the bottom of the sub platter shaft which sets on the bearing. Smooooooth...

Damn straight!

 

Frank's counterweight for Rega arms is also a thing of beauty! Recommended.

 

Yes, that's the next step...

I use one on my P9 too and it's great!
However, if you have a P2/3/5/25 and you can only buy one
thing right now, I'd highly suggest the subplatter first...

And Frank is a great guy to do business with too!!

 

I know everything is made to a price point, but if I blew my entire wad on a P3-24, I'd be kinda bummed by that comment.

 

It is, what it is.
It's the economy of the industry. Everything is made to a certain price point to satisfy a particular niche, and just about anything can be improved upon, moving it beyond that point.
When I made the decision to purchase a new turntable, I knew what my budget would get me at that point in time. Knowing that I would also desire a higher quality turntable in the future, I purchased something I knew I could tweak out and improve upon as monies allowed. Rega gave me not only a decent entry level table that I knew would not give me buyers remorse, it also gave me an upgrade path through the talents of not only their own engineers, but also through talent outside the company's walls. I knew the stock sub platter was lacking, but it was a compromise that Rega had to make at that price point, and one that I accepted. Monies were better spent, say, in the included RB250. The beauty was that I knew Groovetracer was out there with something I could invest in at a later date that would bring my turntable into another category altogether. For the most part what one pays for a stock Rega, one could not do much better. The fact that there are upgrade options available for when that Christmas bonus comes in - well, what could be better?

 

How does it compare to the Michell Tecnoweight?

 

If your choice was between the subplatter and the Riggle VTAF I mentioned in the other thread, what would you choose first?
Thanks -
Anthony

 

I'd still go for the subplatter. You can get spacers for the VTA pretty easily or just work with a cartridge that has the proper stylus to top height.

The Riggle VTAF will not work with a new P3-24 to the best of my knowledge, as it uses the 3 point mount like the RB700/900/1000.

 

As opposed to Roy Gandy, whose standards and products are pure crap?

 

No idea - it is better balanced than with the stock counterweight though. I think these both may sonically help groove tracing.

 

Roy Gandy is the man who designed all of the Rega tables....

That's not making any sense.

 

Absolutely not, and I did not even infer that. If you will reread my posts you will see that I prefered a Rega as my foundation for a state of the art source within my budget, and I also stated that I realized that only so much can be done within the limitations of a design for that particular price range, even for the genius of a man such as Mr. Gandy. Heck, if I had the means to drop several grand on a turntable, I certainly would entertain the thought of purchasing a P9, or an SME, VPI, whatever. As I said, I purchased the Planar 2 because of its inherent high end attributes, and to upgrade the parts (as my budget allowed) whose choice was dictated by the economy of that model & price. No doubt, TONEPUB, will agree with me that Groovtracers stainless and aluminum subplatter is a very impressive piece of machinery. There is absolutely no comparison with Rega's plastic subplatter it's intended to replace. There is no doubt in my mind that Roy Gandy could have manufactured just as magnificient a piece as Franks. There's also no doubt in my mind that it would have increased the cost of the Planar 2 by two to three hundred! Now that just wouldn't have worked, would it have?
I didn't have an extra two hundred at the time I purchased my Rega years ago, but I do now, and as I stated originally, my intention was to upgrade as future monies rolled in.
Please sir, in the future, read my entire post, and then resist the urge to put words into my mouth, and for that, I thank you.

Steve

 

Agreed. The P9 does have a stainless subplatter.. It just doesn't make sense for Rega to do that part at that price point.

 

May nix one of my P3's and go for the P3-24 with all of Frank's upgrades.

This should be fun.

 

I bet you will enjoy it...

As a long time P3 owner (about 25 years...) I do think the new speed control really adds to the tonal stability of this player along with the new motor.

 

Yes. I know. That was sarcasm. Guess I should have HTMLed <sarcasm> </sarcasm>.

I just read an article in some British audio magazine that mentioned how much all this aftermarket adding-on bothers him, after all the work he's gone to to make these turntables. And I don't blame him. I'm sure I would find it insulting if I were he, all these people presuming to know better than the guy who designed the turntable.

 

When I spent a few hours interviewing him, he expressed the same sentiment and I understand all of his reasoning. But there are a lot of people out there that can't afford to make the jump from a P3 to a P7 or P9.

He really gets grumpy about the people who have modded his tonearms...

I think what Frank has done completely compliments the Rega design, just like buying Koni shocks for your Porsche or BMW. Just about everything out there is designed to a price point.

So for the person who likes their P3, but would like a little more resolution without selling their existing table, I really think this is the way to go.

I don't think it's so much a presuming to know better. In Franks case I think it is just someone who is a very skilled machinist looking at a part and making it better. If Rega included a steel or aluminum subplatter with the P3, it would cost almost twice as much money and would not be competitive where it is.

 

Exactly the point I was so desperately trying to make!

 

Yes, even the P9 is built to a price point (although it is not advertised that way). The stock feet are the same as models costing thousands of dollars less, and they can be improved on - as can the counterweight. Roy Gandy is a genius in my book, but there are tweaks that work, even for Rega.

I also have Konis on one of my Porsches, so I guess I'm a tweaker after all.