Planar 3 With Ortofon Blue/What Amp?

I'm about to turn 50, so I've got a window of opportunity to upgrade and update my Realistic Lab-400 and Sansui 4000.

I do have a budget and two boys who every day are getting closer to driving and college. So I can't go too crazy. Also, I want something that will last.

I listen to mostly clsssical and some Americana and rock.

I'm thinking of buying an open box/returned Rega Planar 3 with no cart. I would take my Ortofon Red cart from my existing TT and upgrade to a Blue stylus.

Is that a reasonable plan? Would I hear a real increase in sound qualty? (Right now I have distortion at the ends of records despite correct alignment, and it's driving me bonkers.)

Should I consider a different TT?

If that's a good plan, what amp would be a good match? I need at least 45 watts per speaker (2). I'd really like to be able to stream music from an Android phone to the receiver/amp as well.

TIA

 

Also, I forgot to ask: Is the AT LP7 a viable alternative to the Rega Planar 3.

 

I have a Planar 3, an old one c 1980's but they are still very highly rated decks.

For what it's worth, my return to vinyl was via a couple of more budget decks before getting the rega second hand. I had a Pioneer PL30 and an ATLP120, both ok for the price. Whilst I had those I upgraded to an Ortofon red followed by a Blue. The red I had lots of trouble with, mainly inner groove distortion and the Blue was better. I then decided to change to a Denon DL110 and am still amazed at how good that sounds on the Rega, not just the sound as much of that is subjective but I've found things like IGD and sibilance have gone and a well pressed clean record just sounds pristine, minimal noise floor.

I doubt the AT deck would be a match for the Rega in my opinion. Specifically it has a preamp built in, even when bypassed some of the electronics are still in the circuit and you can hear noise, I removed the amp on both my cheaper desks and the quality improvement was noticeable as it was just a direct feed from the cartridge.

As for amps - I'm no expert but I have both a Marantz 5005 and a Pioneer a30-k, both have good phono amps, I don't drive speakers with these but the sound feeding through to the main surround amp sounds good to me.

 

I have rega planar 3 with ortofon blue and marantz 5005. As a pre I have DJ art and a croft micro from 1986.
Marantz phono is awesome; is the same of art DJ pre with its A/C power supply
Art DJ pre with 12v gel battery sounds better (more airy and detailed)

Pm5005 has a wonderful headphones stage too..

 

No, not on the same planet. You never mentioned budget for your amp, but I am going to recommend the Yamaha AS501 integrated amp. A strong 85 Watts, built in phono and a dac. Streaming from the phone isn’t my area of expertise, but I think Yamaha sells a Bluetooth adapter. The built in phono is the weak part of the amp but it’s as good as any others in its price range. It will serve you until you can afford a separate preamp.

 

Yes the 5005 drives my AKG's very well, I got rid of the Schiit Asgard as couldn't really hear the difference and the 5005 has the advantage of the remote

 

Yes, and yes.
.

 

Been in your shoes, it would really help to know your budget.

 

Hopefully, $1,000 after subtracting what I can get for the TT and receiver, which are both in working order.

 

So I upgraded from a debut carbon to a RP3 a little over a year ago. I loved the sound of the 2M Blue I had on the DC and wanted an upgraded one for the RP3 so bought a used Bronze from a friend. The RP3 took it but I had to put spacers under the arm base because of how low the Ortofon cartridge dropped. Because of this, I ended up selling the Bronze and picking up a Rega Exact which was a painless install. I’m super satisfied with everything about it.

If you were to go the Rega route, I would just get the Elys 2 unless you’ve already got the 2M Blue. The Blue stylus will run you $160-$200 and if you get the RP3 with the Elys 2 on it it’s only $200 more. The Elys 2 by itself is $250-$300.

 

Update & Thank You:

First, I bought an open box Yamaha AS501. I wanted the extra watts. Right now, my TT is broken, but I'm using it with my CD player. It sounds great! I even hooked up an Echo dot to listen to radio, and that sounds decent too, but below CD quality.

The really good news (unless I'm counting my chickens too early) is that I found a used Music Hall 5.3se with an Ortofon Bronze cart for a price below an open box Rega Planar 3 with an Ortofon Blue. It arrives Saturday.

In other news, I took my Lab-400 in for repairs because I screwed up the cueing arm trying to check the cart alignment. I was cecking that alignment because I had IGD issues. They fixed the cueing arm, but also determined a part in the tracking mechanism was broken. I'm now trying to find a part. Once that's done, I will either keep it as a spare or sell it and use the proceeds to buy a pre-amp.

Thanks for the feedback.