Rega Planar 2 (2016) vs Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC: No Contest

Wow!!!

 

Some Rega owners say the speed is dead on. I'm curious about what's going on with the current run.. and 2% is definitely audible.

 

2% definitely is audible- .2 isn't. Michael Fremer had a misprint in this review on the P3 when it was first published.

 

So did he mean .2 in actuality?

 

Yes. He forgot the decimal point.

 

Kind of inexcusable. He has stated on numerous ocassions that all Rega tables run fast. I think that is a bit of an over reach.

 

Technically he is correct. They run fast. But it isn't the big deal some make it out to be- I am guilty myself. If it's inaudible, it's a non issue.

 

For me it is a non issue....unless one has perfect pitch. .2 is non issue that is.. of course as you go above 2% that is clearly a concern.

 

Or it's possible that the RP2 is just a better sounding table in the OP's setup.

 

2% would be 33.9.

 

yup.

 

Are you supposed to measure with a record on the platter? Or does it make no difference?

 

I put my phone on the platter and measured.

 

Gotcha. Same here.

 

Same question here. Ready to buy the Rega but was wondering about that

 

The Debut Carbon DC isn't a bad purchase, especially so when you don't have many options. I purchased mine because I was very limited on what I could get at that price point; Richer Sounds doesn't even sell Rega turntables :/

 

Hate to be 'that guy', but if the base speed is 33 1/3 rpm, then plus 2% would make it 34 rpm.

And yeah, I guess you'd hear that.
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I believe it. But at a price 50% greater than the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC, I would kinda expect it to.

$225 doesn't seem like much... but it is at that price level.

Not that I'm defending Pro-Ject. They seem to have issues, 'the hum' among others. Many ppl comment that they seem cheaply-made.

But a level-playing-field comparison in this case is Planar 1 vs Debut Carbon DC. Maybe the Planar 1 would still win, but it'd be interesting to hear from someone who owns/has owned both on that.

Meanwhile, I'm not surprised that going $225 above entry-level nets you a significantly-better-than-entry-level turntable. It should.
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A bit like comparing a Big Mac to a whopper

 

I am not sure if it is the extra $225 that gets you better sound, but just an over all way better design.

For the record, I don't think my Pro-Ject is that cheaply made, it seems decent in that regard.

 

The RP2 may well have a better design (or not, I honestly don't know), but having a higher price-point to play with/more money allows TT designers to spec things like a better main bearing, tighter tolerances, higher-quality materials, more rigid tonearm, etc. etc.

It's hard to see how more money is not an advantage, especially at lower price levels, where every dollar counts.
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Hard to disagree.

But I REALLY think $225 is a much smaller difference than it is made out to be.

I mean you really have to be hard up, since this will be a long term purchase.

 

I feel ya, and that's how I'd lean as well.

But, by the same logic, ppl should then 'man up' and get a Rega Planar 3, since that's only $270 more than a P2.

You see? You have to stop somewhere. And hopefully, a bit short of a totally empty wallet.
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No, actually..the P3 is almost $600 more with stock Elys 2 cartridge, just to be accurate.

The P2 is in the $650 range ready to go out of the box.

The issue is, cheap turntables are more trouble than they are worth. It is better just to NOT
get "back into vinyl" or get into vinyl at all.

The format is 100% physical, unlike digital, so many moving parts to get right.

 

The Planar 3 is $945 sans cartridge... you don't HAVE to get it with the suggested Elys2 cart (there's better choices anyway).

The Planar 2, meanwhile, is $675. I did forget that it comes with a Rega Carbon cart, but that's only a $65 cart. So, okay, $335 diff between the P2 and the P3. Doesn't really change the 'man up' equation much.

Are cheap turntables 'worth it'? I guess that depends on who you are. If you've got a sizeable collection of beloved LPs you'd like to keep playing and your old TT poops out or sucked to begin with, and you don't have much of a budget, well... who are we to tell them not to buy one?

Then there's the idea of cheaper TTs as a 'gateway drug' to the good stuff. Hey, it worked on me.

But if the goal is to beat digital in sound quality for the same money, well no, I think that to most ppl's ears a cheap TT, even a good cheap TT, won't quite do that.

But for a lot of ppl, it's not about that. And if it is, moving up the price scale changes the equation. A lot.