Help! I need somebody... (Vinyl newbie here)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by SJR, Sep 4, 2017.

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  1. krisjay

    krisjay Psychedelic Wave Rider

    Location:
    Maine
    I didn't even consider the Australia factor in this. For the hell of it I went to Ebay Australia, put this together for $2694.00(Australian), new, includes shipping. In the end, I just hope you are happy with what you end up with. I am in the planning stage myself of upgrading to a new setup. a lot of nice vintage gear on there also(turntables). Good luck.
    Yamaha AS801
    Rega Planar 2
    Elac B6
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2017
    SJR likes this.
  2. anorak2

    anorak2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    I'm puzzled about the amp and speakers. You said you are listening to digital, so you must own some sort of system already. What is wrong with that one that you plan to ditch it? Unless you are using a PC or smartphone for your listening, that is.
     
  3. SirMarc

    SirMarc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cranford, NJ
    @SJR, just remember Bluetooth is compressed music, so not even CD quality. The Chromecast audio will stream uncompressed files to the Rotel.
     
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  4. Tartifless

    Tartifless Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    It's only of use if streaming music from the web or from a home server.
    Just keep in mind that with usb you can stream uncompressed also.

    The chromecast is a nice to have addition, but still it is additional budget and i would not recommend it without knowing what sources the listener will listen to...

    For all we know the aim of OP is lps for now.
     
  5. SirMarc

    SirMarc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cranford, NJ
    Yeah, I see your point, but for the price the Chromecast Audio is a cool device. I'm 95% vinyl at home, but when I'm feeling lazy, at least with the Chromcast-> optical to my Bifrost 4490 I'm getting full bitrate. Bluetooth is cool for the car, but not up to snuff for critical listening in my opinion...
     
  6. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    Has anyone mentioned you need to budget for a good phono cartridge? That Rega Carbon that comes with the Planar 2 is pretty lacking. At least mount an Ortofon 2M Red or Nagaoka MP-110 on it. Also, when it comes to speakers, have you considered the Wharfedale Diamond series? The old 10 line can be had for dirt cheap right now, and the recent 220 line ought to be slashed with the new series coming out. Sturdier and nicer looking cabinets (from what I hear, at least) than the B6. Plus, British-voiced if you like that sound.
     
  7. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    Sorry I didn't make that clear. I don't have any system at all. I ditched my old Denon CD player (not sure of model off the top of my head - it was years ago). I listen to all music through my laptop or phone on the move.
     
  8. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    My main interest is LPs at the moment.
     
  9. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    That setup is still more than what I'm looking to pay which includes cables and cleaning kit and local pick up.
     
  10. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    They did up thread. Would the Rega Carbon get me through a couple weeks before looking at upgrade? I've read good things about the Ortofon 2M Red but not heard of the other. As for the speakers, I may upgrade to those Wharfedales as I can't get them immediately from in store as my local dealer doesn't stock them.
     
  11. Jking3002

    Jking3002 Forum Resident

    The Rega Carbon is fine for as long as you're fine to listen to it and the stylus is playable (1000ish hours).

    It isn't the last word in detail retrieval and might have issues with sibilance and IGD on hot records but it's fine while you save for something better.
     
  12. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    Great! I've had a look at pricing on the Ortofon 2M Red ($149) which seems reasonable if the quality is gonna be that much better? Or maybe I just wait...
    Also, the Ortofon 2M Blue is $285 and the Rega Elys 2M is $250. Any advice on those? With the pricing they obviously are better again?
     
  13. Jking3002

    Jking3002 Forum Resident

    I've actually listened to all 3 of those and have owned both the 2m red and blue. The 2m blue sounded the best of the 3 to me.

    That said, if I was getting a Rega table as my first table I'd buy a Rega cart. I hate aligning cartridges and the 3-point mounting system Rega uses (which some find controversial) makes that job easier, especially for someone just getting into vinyl.
     
  14. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    The Blue is an excellent cart. Rega carts are pretty divisive to say the least. Some love 'em, others hate 'em, but it's undeniable that they're the easiest to set up on the table. Also, don't discount the Audio Technica 440MLB. Amazing stylus and detail retrieval for the money.
     
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  15. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    So sticking with the Rega cartridge that comes with the table would be the best bet at the moment for myself being a newbie.
     
  16. Disionity

    Disionity Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri, USA
    Yes. The Carbon should suit you fine for now. It will simplify set-up and get you spinning records out of the box. Not to mention, if you do something stupid and mess up the stylus there's no money lost. For the record, I still think the Carbon's a pretty rockin' cart. Here's a video of it in action (it's actually an AT91 cart, but the Carbon pretty much uses the same stylus and internals).
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2017
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  17. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    Great, thanks. Hopefully I don't do anything stupid! I'm going in to the store tomorrow to check it all out so I'll see and hear the other cartridges. I just want to bring it home and start playing at first then look at upgrading cartridge awhile later.
     
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  18. Jking3002

    Jking3002 Forum Resident

    I agree with @Disionity that the carbon will be a fine cartridge for starting out with. It actually doesn't use the 3-point mounting system that more expensive Rega cartridges use, but it comes pre-aligned from the factory so it should be ready to go from that standpoint. Later on, if you still want to upgrade the cartridge, but don't feel like messing around with alignment, VTA adjustments, etc. then the Rega cartridges higher up in the lineup are what I would recommend because they are easy to mount on Rega tables since they use a special 3-point mounting system that makes things pretty easy for someone still learning.
     
  19. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    I wasn't aware of that, thanks. So if I do eventually change cartridges and go with a non-Rega one, I will need to adjust alignments etc? I'll get some experience under my belt first then!
     
  20. Jking3002

    Jking3002 Forum Resident

    Exactly. It's no different than what you'd have to learn to do on most other tables when changing cartridges, Rega just makes it easier to use one of their products with the special mounting system, but nothing says you have to!
     
  21. Maccaroni

    Maccaroni Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    The stock cartridge will see you through for as long as you need it.

    If you get an upgraded cart now you'll miss one of the great pleasures in my opinion which is that after you're familiar with the sound of your TT, upgrading to a new cartridge for better sound later. It's really good fun.

    It's always good to have a spare cart on hand so even if you don't use the stock one for the full 1000 hours it will be good to upgrade at some point during the lifecycle and then have the current one as a spare on hand.
     
  22. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    I understand that that will be a pleasure hearing an 'upgrade' in sound so I'll hold off for now.
     
  23. Tartifless

    Tartifless Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    Great decision.

    The stock cartridge is just fine, stick to your budget, enjoy the pleasure of further enhancements along the journey !
     
  24. SJR

    SJR Big Boss Man Thread Starter

    So this happened today...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Rega Planar 2
    Rotel A12 Amplifier
    Elac Debut B6 Speakers
    And a handful of records to start off with!

    Thanks for all the advice and recommendations guy. I'm like a kid at Christmas at the minute!

    Note: This is a temporary setup - TT and amp stand and bookshelf speaker stands coming by the end of the week. I'll post an update when finally setup.
     
  25. Nick Brook

    Nick Brook Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK.
    That's fantastic , I bet your thrilled to bits .

    You've made some good choices for what to listen to aswell.
     
    SJR likes this.
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