Rega P3 upgrades

Question the stock subplatter on the P6 is good enough to leave stock right? no need for upgrade?
Still waiting to hear on the other store, in the meantime, another topic to research (if I can do a swap for the P6) is Exact vs Ania, but Ania seems to be way pricier.

 

Two upgrades worth consideration for Rega tables:
1) The Rega wall shelf. I used this until an amp swap changed equipment location. Will reinstall soon.
2) The SRM/TECH Rega silent base. Some minor DIY skills required for this tweak but removes all motor noise / vibrations.
Both of these are good value upgrades IMO, especially the silent base.
I have a heavily tweaked RP6 (tangospinner, SRM & Audiomods).
I will at some point replace the plinth with an aftermarket option and get a newer motor & PSU. Original RP6 can be reassembled in stock form for resale or reuse.
That's what I like about Rega tables, you can build a custom table in your own time.

 

I did not know about that Silent Base. Interesting. I have the ikea bamboo board and Im expecting the vibrapods to come in today in order to put under the TT.

My P6 subplatter question was more about, if I can get my hands on a P6 is the stock one good enough as is without having to upgrade (since its not like the P3 plastic model) thanks

 

NEO all the way. Don’t bother with any upgrade until that one is done first! My experience. Seems less fun of an upgrade, but its a big deal.

 

If your P6 model subplatter is not plastic Id say its a step up already. My table is 1st generation RP6 and the subplatter on those was the black plastic one. I changed to a Tangospinner subplatter a few years ago, along with their delrin platter, bearing housing, triple pulley and belts. Very happy with the Tangospinner products. Ive seen a few saying Groovetracer is the only way to go for Rega upgrades but Tangospinner is great value, solid quality and Gus is a great guy to deal with.
I did use a Groovetracer low slung counter weight for a while before I replaced my Rega arm with an Audiomods arm. Was an nice quality product but I found that ensuring perfect balance of both weights parallel to the plinth could be tricky. Only product of theirs that Ive used.

 

Ok I see, yes I am definitely referring to the newest P6 model. ok, thanks

 

Here is another question is the Moon 110LP v2 a good match for the Ania? seems like it is fine for the Exact, just want to cover all options.
Seems like the Fono MC is great with the Ania, but Im not looking to change.

 

Your phono preamp has the gain and load settings to match up with the Ania.

 

I picked up a Tangospinner for my P3 and thought it was a huge upgrade. I can't imagine the Groovetracer being that much better to merit an extra couple of hundred $. And I agree with @Echo's Answer that the P6 is butt ugly. I don't care if it's a better plinth: it looks and feel cheap. One could argue that the GT or Tangospinner is a much better subplatter than the one on the P6, so a modded P3 with Neo may sound identical to a P6 or even better. Of course, people will deny this but I guarantee there is no one in the world who has done a side by side comparison between a modded P3 and P6 with the exact same cartridge.

 

Regardless of what route I end up taking, what I was really curious about is if you take away resale value: What would a p3 w/ neo psu, tangospinner, exact cartridge sound like next to a stock p6 with exact and neo?

I'm still waiting for a quote, which I might get tomorrow, but it doesn't look too promising to be honest. basically, the jump in CAD with taxes for the exchange may be way too much, we will see.

Bottom line is how much is the plinth and platter worth to move up? I think that will be the mathematical question (again take away resale value for now)

 

If you have not already been there I would suggest you read this excellent thread started by @avanti1960 for any matching queries you may have:
Rethinking Phono Preamp Gain Settings
Its a great discussion on calculations, thoughts and observations on this whole topic.
A "must read" thread IMO.

 

Having owned the RP range: 1, 6, and 10, my advice is add the aluminum subplatter to the P3 now (a massive upgrade for stability and imaging), then start saving up for as many years as you need to in order to afford a P8.

If you think the P6 is where you will stop (nothing wrong with this, I am a big fan of my RP6 tables), then just go with Bill's advice and trade in your 3 for the 6 directly. With the aluminum sub on the P6 Rega pretty much made it pointless to bother with upgrading the lower range tables.

 

I upgraded my Planar 3 with Tangospinner sub platter, Exact cartridge, 23mm acrylic platter and Rega Neo PSU. I run it thru a Rega Brio amp and Rega Fono MM and Klipsch Heresy II's. It sounds incredible.

 

I have similar front end setup for one of my RP6 systems and could not agree more. Sound is truly excellent. The Exact and Fono MM are a really sweet match.

 

In the end, if you upgrade the P3, eventually your stomach will digest itself knowing that you never did get the P6. It's human nature. Save yourself the grief, get a newer P6 with the current spec Neo and other bits and listen to it for a while. There are a couple of places that consistently have either B stock or open box P6s for pretty good deals. Sell the P3 and get the P6.

One thing to do with either table is a motor isolation system. Michael Lim sells an inexpensive motor isolation base that moves the motor off the plinth. This is probably the best 100-ish bucks I've ever spent in audio. Available for P3 or P6.

 

I will add it to my list of threads to read, which Im trying to read at the moment.

So this actually will become key now, as it looks like we can only make a deal with the Ania LOMC cartridge. I might actually be able to do the swap.

I read in another thread yesterday someone mentioned the 110LP v2 may be the weak for the Ania. And suggested the 310LP model.

Just hope the 110 wont be the weak part as I wont be looking to change soon with this big change (p6)

 

Thanks and this reminds me of another topic being discussed in another thread, I had purchased the ikea bamboo board quite some time ago and only recently ordered the vibrapods to be put under after reading many people stating it helped, still a good idea? can it make it worse vs help? I dont think I have vibration issues, I do use a sub, so I imagine there is some, its sitting at the top of a a thick glass shelf, this was more because rega uses light plinths and many were suggesting to do something similar to what I mentioned.

 

Sorry, but I understand this logic when it comes to the P3. Sell the P3 (for less than you paid) and pay more for a P6. Syou'll have to pay around the amount you'd pay for a subplatter and neo upgrade, just to have a P6? That would be a SLIM difference between the two that point. Is that P6 plinth REALLY that incredible? I'd go for higher end Rega.

This is good advise!

 

at the price the p8 is at, I highly doubt it, I would need to look at upgrading other system components, speakers, etc.

Let me know what everyone thinks about running the p6 with Ania to the Moon 110lp v2.
And what would be a good future option, Rega Aria or Moon 310lp, I have to assume, based on what I have been reading, the Aria would be a step up from what I have now and the "synergy" would sound great too. let me know what you all think, thanks

 

I’d say the P6/Ania/110 would be a fine combo. Listen to it for a bit to make sure the Ania is run in and then see where you might want to go. I’d still recommend the GT ref sub platter and Lim isolation base as upgrades for the P6.
As for other upgrades, the Ania is a fairly good cart for the money, tho it’s not gonna set the world on fire. The same is true for the 110. Both can provide years of enjoyment as is.
If you start thinking about carts, something like the Apheta2 or newer 3 would be a simple upgrade on a rega arm and sound good too. If you don’t mind installing shims, then the world is wide open on carts.
As for phono stages, sure the Moon 310 would likely be an improvement, but the market is wide open for other phono stages depending on budget.
Other things - IMHO the arm on the P6 and prev RP6 is the weakest link. When I was still running my RP6, I found a deal on an rb900 and found it helped clean things up. Eventually I broke down and swapped it put for an rb2000 and found quite a positive improvement.

 

I have a P3 which I like a lot. It fills my living room with enjoyable sound without massive flaws. But the flaws are there.

I thought I’d offer what I am in process of how to get more from my P3. I could sell my P3 and P1 plus, an old film camera and get a P6 with an Exact maybe for a couple of hundred extra.

I’m now thinking about doing that. Damn you, internet. That would be about the same as what I’m planning to spend now.

From what I have read, I think the PSU and arm upgrade will yield substantial improvements.

The first thing I'm going to upgrade is the PSU - Rega NEO or the basic Origin Live DC (about the same price).

The stock RB330 is good but not fantastic (it’s also on the P6 with a steel counterweight). I could either rewire the 330 from Origin Live or Audio Origami, or, sell the the RB330 and get an Origin Live Onyx. The Onyx would be the cheaper option (after sale of the RB330) and it gets some cracking reviews. That would be a small net expense but a big upgrade, I think. The Onyx trade would work with P6.

Might have been better to get a P6. I can certainly see the sense in doing that. But, then, when you want to upgrade that....it’s the same arm as on the P3.

Now I’m thinking selling some stuff and getting a P6 is the better way ahead, but the arm is a slight weakness imo. Or could be easily improved with a wire upgrade.

I wanted to offer what I was going to do but now I’m in the same place as the OP!

 

Try not to mix external isolation and on-board vibrations. Feet, platforms, sand boxes and the like are good for damping external vibrations from all manner of things, including but not limited to the sound waves you're producing.

A motor isolation base (from Lim or others) moves the motor off the plinth so that any motor vibrations are not transmitted through the plinth into either the arm or cartridge.

 

Just had one more question, since I received a newsletter email from musicdirect that got me thinking. Seems like the VPI Scout Prime is in the same price range as the p6, how does it compare?
Of course I would need to check if they sell VPI at the store I would be doing the trade in with. Please note, I have no knowledge of VPI products or their line, never read any info on them. thanks

 

Just a small update, got the p6 w/ Ania with the trade in. so far sounds very good, however I know the Ania needs to break in 100 hours and it will change a lot more. First record I played was ok, then the second one last night sounded a bit better, I just imagine it will get better over time.

Just a question, I have full trust in the store, as they set up the TT for me, especially since I am very new to all of this. They set the bias adjustment slider to 0 based on how they set it up. The question on the balance weight I have is when the tonearm lever is in the down position, but in between the cradle and the platter, I thought it needs to float not too high, not too low, as if to float if you cup your hand under it. The way they set it up, on the down position, it goes all the way down to its lowest position, not sure if I explained it right, but is this ok? Just wanted to be sure. thanks for the help!

 

I can't help with your question, but congrats on the new TT! I've been reading this thread because I'm in between getting a P3 or a P6, and this is helping me make up my mind to just get the P6. Would love to see a photo of your set up if you can post. Otherwise, enjoy!