The Rega "Intro" Budget Turntable

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by brimuchmuze, Oct 10, 2019.

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  1. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Seems Rega is introducing a new low end turntable called the "Intro".

    It's available at a number of Canadian sites for CA$399, not sure about other markets. So I guess US Pricing would be $300 or so.

    REGA INTRO-Turntable/Cartridge

    So what's the difference compared with the P1?

     
  2. vinylkid58

    vinylkid58 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Victoria, B.C.
    Wow, it really is a race to the bottom.:shake:

    jeff
     
  3. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident Thread Starter


    Well, they are still pushing the high end too with the new P10.
     
    Leonthepro and bluesaddict like this.
  4. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Drink lots of liquor or have untrained ears, Rega on the low end is tolerable. Planar 3 is the beginning of good. Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade if you love Rega.
     
  5. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    I'm not against this product. But it kind of leaves the Planar 1 & 2 in no man's land. These two made sense as a starter deck for Rega. You picked the cheap one or you paid a bit more for the slight upgrades. I would drop the Planar 1 out of the line up. It doesn't make sense to pick between a $300, $400, and $600. Too much inventory for their dealers. If I was a dealer, I'd only offer the Planar 1 as a special order.
     
    googlymoogly likes this.
  6. jcr64

    jcr64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana
    The RP1 was my gateway drug. I wound up upgrading beyond what might have been reasonable—white belt, Elys2 cartridge—but I found the result very satisfying until the turntable disappeared during a move this spring. I replaced it with a Planar 3, which is,no question, superior to the RP1 even with the same cartridge. But the RP1 (and I assume the Planar 1) was a good starting point. I’ll be curious to see if the Intro is actually a decent intro point.
     
  7. SpeedMorris

    SpeedMorris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa
    This is horrible! Now some cretin listening to a pair of Andrew Jones Pioneers and an Onkyo receiver (with nose centered an inch out of the sweet spot) wanting to play some records might possibly buy one of these instead of a Teac, AT, Monoprice, etc. The hobby is doomed.

    Roy Gandy is apparently challenging Heinz Lichtenegger to a cage match.
     
    WapatoWolf likes this.
  8. Any entry table is a good thing for the hobby.
     
  9. PhxJohn

    PhxJohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    There .s no lesser model than the P1 on the Rega website.
     
  10. jcr64

    jcr64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana
    I noticed that too. Wonder what's going on.
     
    PhxJohn likes this.
  11. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Maybe it's a soft launch in Canada, or will only be released in some markets.

    Can't see any mention of it elsewhere, but it's listed as in stock at lots of Canadian dealers.
     
    jcr64 likes this.
  12. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I’m really not sure what the point of this one is while P1 is still in production. I guess it gets them in competition at a slightly lower price range, but I agree with those who have pointed out this renders the P1 probably unsellable.
     
  13. Stan94

    Stan94 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Paris, France
  14. Claude Benshaul

    Claude Benshaul Forum Resident

    Previous owner of a RP1 and surprised to see that REGA managed to scrap the bottom of the barrel to get this out.
     
  15. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    I think they came near to scraping bottom of the barrel with the P1 even if better than a low end Project. To make something cheaper in the UK will provide a challenge to maintaining standards. It maybe is that Rega are now so big that there are economies of scale through shared parts. Arm quality especially is likely to suffer. I find the idea of fixed bias below P3 level pretty unacceptable. Apparently there is a bodge/fix to alter the fixed bias but it involves trial and error and would invalidate the warranty I should think. Does this suggest that all the money in TTs is now with cheap decks bought by newbies? I can't see the P1 being continued alongside this deck.
     
  16. PhxJohn

    PhxJohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    I did. The only original parts of my RP1 are the plinth and dustcover. LOL.
     
  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Looks just like a P1 to me, no more scrapin than before.
     
    Jimmy Disco D likes this.
  18. I spoke to a guy I know who is a Rega dealer and he thinks its just a rebranded revised P1. But he hasn't seen it in person yet
     
  19. PGB

    PGB Procolholic

    This TT appears to compete with the Pro-Ject "Primary", which is probably a stripped-down version of their Essential III. I just bought a Primary at $249 CAD and I'm most pleased with it - it's VERY basic, but that's all I wanted/needed. I'm confident it won't destroy my records (a la Crosley et al), and it sounds just fine with its Ortofon OM5E cartridge/elliptical stylus. I believe in two principles: matching components (as far as possible), and the law of Diminishing Returns. If I could afford a P3/equivalent and up, I'd probably have gone for that. The principles behind the design of the Intro and the Primary emphasize the basic things a TT must do, which is to spin records at the proper speeds, quietly, and play the records with minimal wear and reasonably high fidelity. An excellent, more expensive TT will do those things too, but not everyone needs to pay premium prices to achieve that. This will serve the market consisting of those who recognize that the suitcase-type record "player" can do more harm than good (notwithstanding the "cool factor" these devices seem to possess!), and yet also realize it's not necessary to break the bank. Of course this is all relative (isn't everything?), and I extend all due respect to those who prefer the "higher end".
     
    jcr64, SpeedMorris and Jimmy Disco D like this.
  20. PGB

    PGB Procolholic

    Especially if it's made by a reputable company like Rega (there's also the Pro-Ject "Primary" - same idea)
     
  21. PhxJohn

    PhxJohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
  22. MichaelArcane

    MichaelArcane Purveyor of Terrible Opinions

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Says in your link, matte finish and lighter platter.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  23. vwestlife

    vwestlife Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    One thing I don't get about these low-end turntables from high-end brands is how the performance ratings on them end up so poor. For example, the Pro-Ject Primary has a rated wow & flutter of 0.29% -- that's worse than a $99 AT-LP60! Maybe that's a conservative rating and the actual performance is better, but still, I consider that to be unacceptable for any turntable, especially one which sells for around $250.
     
  24. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    They have high levels of wow and flutter because they're cheaply made, no matter the brand name that's stamped on them. Tolerance of parts is sloppy. I could hear audible W/F on a demo Pro-Ject Essential III at a big box store, and I don't even have perfect pitch.

    $250 still buys something much better on the used market.
     
  25. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yes, I asked a question and quoted the answer.

    Now, the real important question is whether it sounds different :)
     
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