Diving into vinyl: Raga 10, Nottingham Spacedeck…. ?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by The Killer Piglet, Nov 21, 2020.

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  1. The Killer Piglet

    The Killer Piglet Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Miami Beach
    Hi folks.
    I am looking for a turntable in the 5-7k range range, including arm and cartridge.
    My parameters:

    - easy to setup and maintain, and that I will not be looking to replace any time soon.
    - able to play clear, natural, neutral - not particularly looking for warmth.
    - retrieve small cues and details from record - to complement these abilities from my primary system - Korneff 45 DHT and Omega SAM's.

    My leading candidates are:

    - Rega Planar 10 with Apheta 3 cart. These have a rep for being easy to setup. $6700, $5k TT, $2k Cart.

    - Nottingham Spacedeck with Kiseki Purple Heart. ~$7000, $3.5k TT, $3.5k cart.
    Local dealer will pre-configure Nottingham and can visit to setup if needed.

    I would welcome any thoughts or suggestions.

    Thank you
    KP
     
  2. daytona600

    daytona600 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    RP10 with apheta UK is £3599 @ todays rate = $4700
    go homegrown with VPI Prime @ $6250 lower if you haggle with a good dealer
     
  3. The Killer Piglet

    The Killer Piglet Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Miami Beach
    Looking at the Planar 10, not the RP10.

    VPI, I gather, can be a handful to configure and maintain for the uninitiated.

    KP
     
    wownflutter likes this.
  4. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    I have no opinion on the turntables you mentioned. I am also not uninitiated. But as someone who has owned various manual turntables over the years, I see no difference between setting up a VPI and any other turntable, as long as you opt for a VPI model with the gimbaled arm. I love, really love, VPI's unipivot but that arm is more challenging.

    With any turntable, you have to set up cartridge overhang and tangent points to get the needle in the right spot. With any turntable, you have to adjust the tracking force, tonearm height (aka stylus rake angle), anti-skating force, and azimuth. This is tedious on any manual turntable. Once you get all this right, you should do it all over again because changing one parameter usually changes others. This is true with any turntable. After you get all of these persnickety details right, you might have to adjust the cueing height and even the tonearm rest position. Again, this is true with most any turntable.

    Bottom line is outside of crazy-ass turntables like the Well-Tempered, which you would be insane to start with, I find setting up one turntable/tonearm combination is just as challenging to set up as another. A VPI is no different from a Music Hall than from a Clearaudio than from a Rega than from a Project...

    What I would recommend is that, if at all possible, buy it from a local dealer that will teach you how to set up your turntable. If this isn't possible, buy Michael Fremer's video on turntable set-up. He's long winded and will lead you down paths that won't pertain to your set-up, but he's dead nuts right on for all the basics. You can learn a lot from this video about the care and feeding of a turntable.

    I think the "who" in this game is more important than the "what." Who's going to sell it to you? Who's going to teach you what you need to know? Who do you turn to if you have problems? At the level you're looking at, all of these turntables will do a good job. Buy one that feels right to you from someone who can help you along.
     
    Mad shadows likes this.
  5. Bryan T

    Bryan T Forum Resident

    Location:
    L.A.
    I’m not sure that you need to spend $5k to $7k to meet your objectives. The Planar 6, for example, with the right cartridge can be fantastic. Easy to setup and easy to use. Just get the right cartridge for the presentation you want. Just my 2 cents.
     
    Fishoutofwater and CMT like this.
  6. Mike70

    Mike70 Forum Resident

    Technics 1200G ... 4500 usd without cartridge. Fantastic tt made in japan.
     
  7. DJSpinner

    DJSpinner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vermont
    I'd consider a Clearaudio Concept TT, with the top MC cart and tonearm, which they will proper install and calibrate for you. Do you already have a phono stage or integrated amp, if not don't forget to budget for that. Get a $1000-1500 phono preamp and you've now got $1K+ left over in your budget for more vinyl!
     
    Lucca90 likes this.
  8. macster

    macster Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca. USA
    Since there are no additional details on your system., :rolleyes: and keeping in mind that I am a VPI owner. The table that would best suit your needs would be the Rega with a corrosponding phonopre for the Apheta 3 cart.

    M~
     
  9. Vinyl Archaeologist

    Vinyl Archaeologist Forum Resident

    The performance DC or Octave would be more comparable to an RP10. Avoid the magnetic arms for ease of setup.
     
  10. Pmds55889397

    Pmds55889397 Forum Resident

    I'd add to the list, SL1200G/GR
    Easy headshell pre-fitted Audio Technica cartridge.

    Marantz (Clearaudio) TT15s1

    Rega P8

    Vertere

    Why restrict to few choice ?
     
  11. NielsSS

    NielsSS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denmark
    You could also consider Acoustic Signature and Dr. Feickert. You will get quality as in a BMW or Mercedes from the same country.
     
  12. ArneW

    ArneW Senior Member

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Why? A Well Tempered is one of the best bets if you don't want to feel the upgrade itch sooner or later.
     
  13. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    Agreed. It's just as quirky as hell. If the OP looks at it and wants to buy one, I'll congratulate him. I've considered one myself. I just got the impression he was looking for as rock solid and normal a 'table as he could find and I wouldn't call the Well Tempered Turntable that.
     
  14. Lucca90

    Lucca90 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SouthAmerica
    [​IMG]
    Kuzma Stabi S

    [​IMG]
    Funk Firm LSD
     
    Vinyl Archaeologist likes this.
  15. The Killer Piglet

    The Killer Piglet Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Miami Beach
    Thanks for the info, folks.

    Ended up going with the P10 and Herron HTPV-2.

    Setup took about 10 minutes.

    I am head over heels wit the whole thing right now.

    KP
     
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