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

The Rega RB220 is a very capable tonearm. I have the RB202 which is the previous edition. I have an Ortofon Quintet Blue on mine.

 

2% ???? Where did that figure come from ?

 

Great review and comparison. To the point. Lol.

Rega makes great tables.

 

I always say 'Remember that Rega that was not worth the money ? Me neither.'

 

Since the Carbon is made by AT, is it upgradeable ?

 

I guess it is a matter of personal taste, but I think the Planar 2 looks great. The simplicity, the new design on the tonearm base, the finish....it looks like a very classy table. My brother said that is a work of art.

 

And the AR doesn't need a upgrade subplatter to listen to a held piano or guitar chord without waver, the AR is speed accurate, sounds really good even in fine stock condition, I listen to records on the AR, I hear music, not the AR. I have had Regas too often where I hear the Rega without at least the Groovetracer subplatter installed. Agree too the Rega tonearm is better than the Pro-Ject arm.

 

Many have reported that the Regas run fast. For above comparison it would be intersting with two short clips from each table blind.

 

I have both brands and models of cartridges for sale here. Neither are what I would call amazing sounding cartridges. They are what they are, very much adequate, entry level cartridges. Better than what most folks might have had at any point, and both provide good overall sound and can do so while taking care of the record when properly set-up. Better options are available from both companies at higher cost. Overall, these cartridges have warmer and lower resolution presentations than their up-market alternatives. They don't track as well as the Blue or the Elys, nor are they as dynamic. What they manage to do is to convey most of the recorded information in a pleasant manner. If you choose to upgrade the Red stylus to a Blue on the Ortofon cartridge, you get better HF performance. The same can be done with the Rega Carbon by using an AT elliptical stylus, but I find the AT to be brighter and think that the Carbon stylus is what really smooths it out. Since it is not an expensive cartridge, it is best IMO to replace the whole cartridge with a better unit when you want to upgrade.
-Bill

 

2% was corrected to read 0.2% -
Rega Gives the Popular 3 Series A New Spin With the Planar 3 (Decimal Point Added)

 

I have a highly upgraded Rega with the Groovetracer Reference subplatter. Yes the subplatter makes a difference. It should for what it cost. All affordable turntables are built to a price point and cannot be perfection at a reasonable price. I intend to buy an AR XB for a 'fun' turntable with which I can easily change out headshells with different cartridges in it. Only my dealer gets to work on my Rega as I no longer have the eyesight or manual dexterity to mount a cartridge on a one piece tonearm. I agree that the AR XA and XB's are capable turntables. I have had both. Can a stock AR XA or XB match my Rega ? No way.

 

I agree. I have had quite a number of AR's over the years. I have always found the arm and headshells to be the weak links though. So,if you get an AR, I'd also want another arm. That means modifying the top plate and arm mount on the suspension. The nice part of the AR was the T bar suspension design, but even it has some difficulty unless you can keep the whole table still. It's just the suspensions on most all tables can get rather bouncy unless the whole table is really well isolated. So much so, that I find non-suspended tables to be less problematic for racks on wood floors. If you like a suspended design, the Linn has the same basic subchassis but with a much more universal armboard included. Despite the improvement there, I still prefer my Rega tables. Now, if cost were no object, I might find space for an SME 30 somewhere.
-Bill

 

I think this is excellent advice.

 

For a small amount of money the AR arm can be re-fitted with sapphire bearings, new armwand and SME type headshell which can run with the cheaper arms that the Rega and Project tables come with.

 

I would be happy with just the sapphire bearings. I don't know about Pro-Ject. I have no interest in them for my own reasons. I seriously doubt that an upgraded AR tonearm can match even the Rega RB1XX tonearms let alone the RB2XX models. When I replaced my RB101 tonearm with a RB202, the friction of the RB202 is so low that it took me awhile to be able to handle it. It feels like it has zero friction. The AR tonearm is okay for what it is. On the AR tonearm, the vertical bearings need to be adjusted not too tight and not too loose. The horizontal bearing is a post. This does not compare well with Rega's precise bearings. Rega's tonearms are quite fine. Even SOTA uses them on the Moonbeam, Comet, and Jewel. The Jewel is a $2700 turntable. When I get my AR XB it will be for a second stereo system that is for fun. The Rega will remain with the 'serious' system.

 

I am going to keep the arm pretty much stock on the AR as it will be used with old cartridges. The Rega gets to carry the Ortofon Quintet Blue. Now, for a suspended table, I like the SOTA Sapphire. Not that I have ever heard one as they have no dealers.

 

What is a "small amount of money" for those three items, installed?
-Bill

 

Sounds like a whole new arm.

 

You can spend as little as $100 on a simple arm or go hog wild. Also a modified AR on my avatar.

 

The headshells are really hard to work with on those AR's. Plastic threads on them and metal pins to mate on the arm collar. They are usually damaged and fit poorly when working. The biggest hassle for me is the fact that the headshell has not easily accessible, flat under surface for mounting the cartridge. rather the cartridge fits up inside of it, and if that wasn't bothersome enough, the mounting screws are only from the bottom, and again it's metal screw to plastic boss thread. You'd really need an overhang jig and VTA measurement tool to mount and align the cartridge in the headshell without relying on the table. I've never had that though and had to go back and forth so many freakin' times that whatever i managed to sell one of those for didn't cover my labor costs. They are fairly nice when all works though...
-Bill

 

Here's the thing....LOL...I have had one AR XA and two AR XB's so I am familiar with the beast. I can buy a few headshells and mount a few carts. I am not going to upgrade the table. I have my Rega that has nothing original except the dustcover, plinth, on/off switch, and bearing well. The Reference subplatter comes with a sapphire and zirconia bearing. I stole that idea from the SOTA Jewel and Sapphire. My Rega sounds amazing. Nothing at all like the RP1 that is was born as.

 

What I always thought was downright ridiculous on the AR was the tiny plinth. You cannot play a record with the dustcover in place. And no, I am not going to spend the money for a new box.

 

Those do look quite nice but that is not what I am going for. I have my Rega for my 'big boy' stereo. The AR will just be for casual fun. And to listen to old cartridges that do not need a great tonearm. It will be used with a Marantz 2220B receiver connected to the first generation of Acoustic Research AR 6 speakers which have the better woofer than later versions. The Rega is used with NAD C162 preamp, C272 power amp, and AR 3a speakers.

 

I just can't abide by the original headshell on one to go to the trouble. I just sold an XA and an AB here. If you have the XB and you change the arm, you can't use the arm lift, so the XA is just as nice, maybe a cleaner start for a custom table. It'd not a bad idea to have a new plinth made and just use the motor and suspension and platter of the AR, adding a new tonearm. I have a nice, heavy Pioneer DD table that I'd kind of like to do that with, but in either case, it's not worth the investment of time or money for me. If someone loves to tinker, it'd make a cool project.

I have had a Sota Sapphire come through here a couple of years ago also. It's a nice table. The one that I had needed some repair and restoration but was a nice design. The suspension is effective on those also. I liked the sound OK. I didn't really care for the one that I first heard years ago. It may have been the warm amplification also, the whole system just sounded dull and fuzzy to me. It was also very expensive...

Yeah, the dustcovers would get broken often as they had to be removed to use them and probably got sat on or stepped on! I am guessin, but the size of the plinth may have been kept so small because the design is old enough to date back when custom cabinet installs were popular and maybe it would fit inside of a few of the larger consoles of the day. Linn totally stole the platter and subchassis design, and I like their implementation better, including the damned dustcover! I guess that you can tell from my posts that I really just want to play records rather than futz with my table. That's one reason that I have really enjoyed my Rega. It's intuitive and non-fussy.
-Bill