My new Rega RP6 - Pros & Cons

I really like my Rega RP6. I do have the GT subplatter, and the Edwards belt. No wobble ...no pitch variance. I do wish it had adjustable feet and I did start a thread about that awhile back. We did find some, but again ...an additional cost.
I think my next deck will be a Clearaudio. But who knows when and if that will ever be. Right now, I'm having a blast playing records on my Rega. Sounds great.

 

I've had no motor noise issues even with the stock Rega components. You mention putting oil down the shaft - by that I presume you are talking about the bearing well? If so that would not affect the motor, but mechanical friction between the well, ball bearing, and sub-platter shaft while rotation occurs. This is where the groovetracer makes a dramatic difference.

 

My local store tried to steer me when I bought my last table to Clearaudio. Mistake on my part not listening to them. The two models I was referring to was above what you dealt with. Unfortunately I don't have any real experience dealing with the Xpresion table so have no comment about that table.

 

Are you referring to the DAC R?

 

Before I bought my RP6 I auditioned Rega, Clearaudio and VPI tables. Something drew me back to the Rega RP 6 and I even listened to the RP 8 & 9 as well. But since I am superficial and looks are almost as important and the sound to me, I almost went for a Concept. I LOVE the looks of their tables the best and especially the Ovation, but that was way out of my budget. I personally dislike the look of all of the VPIs. They look boxy clunky and for me, that's a non starter (I totally get why others love them). So for a modern look, and easy setup, I went with the Rega RP6.

I did have an immediate issue with the cart hanging low and scraping the record and after speaking with Rega's distributor, my dealer sent their tech to my house and swapped it out (apparently they add some issues with a batch of Exacts in early 2014). The tech re set my entire table and we listened in my house for an hour or so. That's great service.

Two months later I bought the white belt. Seems different but not sure. Then 10 months in the got the Groovetracer Subplatjer. Now THAT was a game changer. Huge difference. Love this table. And I have no wobble or any of the other issues I've read about here.

I understand those who don't like the plastic look but I see it more as a modern style than cheap looking. Again we have different visual tastes. Just look at the threads showcasing all of our setups.

Eventually I hope to add a second system downstairs after my renovation. At this point It might be a vintage rig adding to my old Dual cs5000 which is beautiful. Love its rounded wood plinth. But after a year plus with the Rega, I feel I might be disappointed with how that table sounds. Sound-wise I could see getting another Rega table, but if I end of spending that amount again, I'll probable change it up with a ClearAudio rig.

Love reading everyone's opinions here as we each have our own tastes in terms of sound and vision. I learned a lot here and with the help of my friend @chacha, jumped back into analogue after a 15 year hiatus.

 

No, the DAC. I've never heard the DAC-R.

 

The white belt on the stock subplatter wouldn't do much that could readily be heard. I added one after I had the groovetracer awhile. It surprised me; I was not expecting any noticeable improvement - but there was.

 

Mine was added before I got the sub. I see you are in Seattle too. Hawthorne did right by me. Good guys.

 

This is borderline bizarre.........all of the reported REGA issues
I guess technological "progress" isn't always progress
I purchased all 3 of mine between 1996-99
No noises, wobbles or anything else
All three of mine (obviously) you just plug into the wall
I was skeptical when all of this upgrade, 24V motor, "wall wart" turntables stuff got rolling, I did think about trying it for a few minutes (motor "upgrade" for the "3"s) because so much improvement was promised

I looked long and hard at the Planar 9 and settled for the Planar 25; REGAs are what they are: a damn nice arm on a slab of particle board with a decent bearing (and that's it, dress it up however you want) Even with a missile nose cone platter. Only thing I've done to my "25" since 1999 was a new white belt

Like a Model A Ford it's simplicity lends itself well to the mod squads, which is cool if that's your bag

I also looked at VPIs, this was during the "TNT" times. I just could not grasp paying that much money for all of that acrylic, CNCed by a computer or not, it's still a hell of a lot of what is essentially plastic, no matter how beautiful................and they start trying to upgrade you before you even get it out the door (sure felt that way)

I love my REGAs; quiet, simple, reliable.........I love them a lot. But there are times when an automatic is the way to go (for very valid reasons)

Because of this, I have recently revisited the TOP DRAWER offerings of the Japanese in Direct Drives, both automatics and manuals...........my conclusion?

You better grab a nice one while you can and go through it. After looking at dozens of tables, from $500 to &50,000 works of art with air bearing arms, there is no better value, or most importantly so, level of PRECISION, fit and finish, as there is with the '70 era tables from Japan. Most of the very nice ones allow for you to choose your own arm
I'm talking as compared to realistic work horse tables, not the esoteric, cost no option chunks of jewelry; they're the best deal going dollar for pound from a time when the Lp was King and companies had to build quality to survive (and compete). We're almost a captive market nowadays at all price points

Not implying to abandon REGA or any other make, just saying that after 40+ years or so the answer was right there in front of me all along

30lb.+ plinths, heavy platters, excellent isolation footers, VTA and Bias adjusts on the fly, dead quiet ROCK SOLID speed, variable pitch and come with dust covers on many............the list goes on........AND, 30-35-40 years later a majority of them still perform flawlessly! I mean, I read dozens of threads and posts every week about various turntable brands, nearly all suffering some sort of pattern problem or flaw, RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!?!

Better still, buy any of the broadcast/studio level Japanese tables and build your own custom plinth

The greatest hurdle (for some) is their appearance, often "corporate" (SONYs look like SONY etc.......ALL the products from a given time) some people don't care for that and I think it compounds the already preconceived bias that may exist........"why, that just CAN'T be a high performance deck" "they made so MANY"

They're still affordable but the prices are steadily rising, for a few hundred dollars and a few bucks for caps you can have a table that will easily trounce most of today's "affordable" "entry level" decks and without all of the BS (or so it seems), and it will last, trouble free, for another 30 or 35 years

I've been thinking very hard about selling my "25"; only reason it's still here is the back up, reliability aspect of it all (don't want to be stuck without a table in the unlikely event I do lose an IC in one of the Direct Drives)

Besides the arm, that is the biggest plus for a REGA for me, they are so damn reliable, simple and trouble free...........at least I thought so until I started seeing these sorts of threads

Sorry you guys are having so many problems with the current production REGAs; I mean platters that wobble? I mean I thought that must have been one that was dropped in shipment or something until I saw it told a dozen or more time............does that RP6 still retain the glass platter?

 

These sound like great fixes. Based on the OP's review, it seems like the real concerns are the ones that impact the sound in an obvious manner: the speed and the motor/platter noise. If those can be dealt with for not a lot of money, then it would seem like the RP6 would be a keeper because it sounds great and the plastics don't seem to be actually harming the experience in any way.

 

Umm hmm. They transform your records into the rotating dead.

 

I have a Debut Carbon w/ Speedbox, Acryl-it platter and 2M Blue. I really have my heart set on VPI. Probably a Scout, but that could change because it might be a little while before I can upgrade.

 

I mean the motor shaft, not the platter shaft. Put 1-2 drops of motor oil on the shaft and push gently on the pulley around 10 times and it should be silent. I've never heard about audible noise from the sub platter ,no matter which subplatter.

In terms of the amount of people complaining you have to have in mind that Rega is shipping most turntables in the world so the percentage of RMA doesn't have to be more than for VPI, Project and those other brands..

 

I can report after a year with my RP8 I have had no issues at all. I think the table sounds amazing as well. I currently have a Dynavector 10X5 Cart fitted on it and get to look forward to high quality cart upgrades due to the awesome RB808. I've got to say that the RS5 speaker really impresses as well. I picked up a pair this last weekend and I think they sound fantastic. I listened to the 1st Rage Against The Machine Album cut by Robert Ludwig and the new 331/3 MM Blue Note Grant Green Idle Moments today, I'm in Rega Heaven. I will agree with the OP that Rega could do better with the Plastic TT PSU housing. I have my Pro-Ject Phono RS sitting next to the Rega PSU and the Pro-Ject box is a much nicer build. It's built like a Tank actually.

 

I have a stock Rega RP3 and an original VPI Scout. My observations and opinions of each using the VPI Zephyr cartridge in my system are as follows:

RP3 - Build quality is good and commensurate with price in my opinion. I really don't mind that it has some plastic components because I think they work well with the design goals. I like the appearance of the table very much as it has a clean, modern simplicity that I really appreciate. I would describe the sound quality as having very good resolution and clarity. It gets my toes tapping and is a lot of fun to listen to. It doesn't have extend as deep in the bass as my Scout Ease of use is extremely high with the Rega. It is very much a set it and forget it product. I have installed the Rega brand 2mm spacer in order to use the Zephyr, but I found it to be pretty simple to install.

Scout - Build quality is excellent and a real strength of this table. I think the tonearm is very high in quality. I rate the appearance of the Scout as good, and more of an industrial looking design. As far as sound quality I think the Scout has a bit of warmth compared to strict neutrality and has deeper bass extension and a bit more weight compared to the RP3. In my opinion ease of use is not a strength for the Scout. I find it a bit finicky and complicated to setup. I did have to install the upgraded capacitor for the motor to prevent it making popping sounds when I turned on/off the motor, but it wasn't very difficult to do. I have also installed the Soundsmith counter weight.

Overall, my preference is the Rega tables and when my work situation settles down a bit, I hope to get an RP6. I certainly don't fault those who prefer the VPI though as it has different strengths than the Rega and we all have different priorities.

 

That would be a tough decision to sell and upgrade from RP3 to Rp6 or add the TTPSU, feet and subplatter to the RP3. I guess it would depend on the return you can get for the 3. Knowing what I know now, I think the 6 is the sweet spot in the line. I would never buy the 3 again.

Of course had I not run across a nice Scout used, I would likely be sporting something else in that room as there are no dealers and my Scout is the first VPI table I ever even saw in person (same for my Rega). It's just tough out her in the hinterlands to demo almost anything and a TT is so subjective.

 

Me neither. I was just curious which shaft was being oiled!

 

I would return it. I think, from what you said, a lot of what you like about the table is currently a large part down to the Ortofon 2m black which is a very good cart!

 

The platter wobble helps with those warped off centre LPs

 

God yeah they're so quality control!

 

Lol

 

Double LOL!!!

 

I might have forgot to say "Don't try this at home".

 

Update from the past weekend:

Working on the platter run-out/wobble: I took the platter off, then took the aluminum? stainless? metal top-hat off the sub-platter and reseated it, popped the platter back on top, and hey guess what? Platter run-out/wobble is much, much better; less than a millimeter measured against a ruler - which is probably not the most scientific method, but close enough. Noticeable improvement when spinning a record. I guess the weight of the platter itself was not enough to properly seat the metal top-hat. It needed a little help.

The cartridge (2M Black) just gets better and better as it breaks in. This things a keeper.

What anti-skate force are folks running on their RP6 w/ an Ortofon 2M Black?

I can't decide between 1gram and somewhere around all the way out, almost off. I don't think you can ever quite turn anti-skate entirely off on a Rega arm. I'm using the Ultimate Analog Test LP tracks and straight listening to various LPs, easily done since you can adjust ant-skate while playing.

In other news, I found a Clearaudio dealer in my neck of the woods! He works from his home instead of a commercial showroom is why I missed him before. This coming weekend I'm going to check out the Clearaudio Concept and Performance DC. Full report to follow.

Best regards,
A-

 

Is this the wobble?
Or is there more than one manifestation?