Wow I love RS, I have 50th but but if I bought it now I would get an RS
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Really how does that affect used records then. I am not even sure your point makes it bad for new records.
As far as I know there were up to a few months ago two sources for lacquers but one factory burnt down. It seems likely a new facility will be created. Where there is a demand money will follow.
To answer the OP A Rega P3 RS would be a good choice but there are several good phono stages about the same cost as the Goldnote such as Graham Slee, Tom Evans or indeed a Naim Stageline (if you have a Naim Amp) and others.
I’m not sure anyone really knows the secret sauce recipe that’s needed to make new lacquers… Hence, no one has bothered to build a new factory, and the one that already exists certainly ain’t in no hurry to give their secret sauce recipe out!
Some interesting info here
Why am I not surprised to find out L. Ron Hubbard’s speeches have been cut onto disc to be preserved in time capsules along with hand-cranked turntables…
However, a very interesting read. Thank you for the link.
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I just bought the rega p3 sl and i really like it. My streamer is ndx2 which is great, however i really kike what im hearing. Just seams more natural for a lot ow what im listening to
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With which cartridge and what preamp?
A good entry point would be a Rega Planar 3 new for £650 reduced from £880.
I had one from age 18 and loved it. Easy to set up and use.
Vinyl is an expensive hobby nowadays with new records generally £30 to £50.
I use record cleaning machine and buy alot of vinyl used.
It’s a very satisfying hobby for me but I have invested heavily on vinyl playback.
It’s not for everyone due to expense and variable quality of vinyl.
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Rega P3 is a decent enough turntable , and may owners are perfectly happy with it. Can handle a cartridge upgrade or two.
But go to a dealer and have a listen, vinyl isnt for everyone - no remote control, no track skipping, twenty five minutes run time a side max.
There are plenty of used TTs around at dealers or resale platforms - you could pick up a Project turntable for a few hundred pounds, which would at least give you a chance to experience the interaction of vinyl versus digital.
As to vinyl, plenty of used and new out there - charity shops around me are useless, some have 50 items but goodness knows whose taste they ever aligned too ! eBay full of new sealed vinyl, but platforms such as Vinted offer significantly lower prices, albeit much smaller selection.
I dragged my TT out of storage 8 weeks ago, and since then bought 40+ LPs from various sources, so no doubt spent north of £800 
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A factory was destroyed in a fire not the people or knowledge as well. It is a guarded secret though as is the combination of plastics in the granules and pucks for pressing.
But where there is money to be made there will be the will to resolve issues.
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If you aren’t playing on shellac then you’re wasting time IMO 
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P3 with ND5 or Exact cartridge is a great choice.
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If I did not have a vinyl collection already and was not looking for specific titles that are not in digital then I would very very happily skip that format in 2025!
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Thanks for clearing that up for me. Maybe you can correct the cheapaudioman on YouTube too… Whilst i thought his video was very well researched clearly he should have just spoken to you!
To be honest, if I were the OP, I wouldn’t bother, unless it was a purely hobby-based decision, like getting a Super 8 camera as an adjunct to digital photography.
I’ve got a decent-spec LP12, and a fair number of records, but I really wouldn’t invest in a turntable now, if I had a decent streaming or CD set up.
Having said all that, if I had loads of space and loads of money, I’d be the poor man’s Jay Leno of turntables: I just like them as Ôbjets: Clearaudio Master Innovation, Kronos Sparta, that new SME 35, Michell Gyrodec, Nottingham AnnaLog…
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No thanks I have no desire to “correct” as you say a youtuber being controversial for clicks.
Buying a turntable in 2025 is like buying a stock at its highest price, just before it crashes…
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Or investing in a stock to help a company succeed because some things are more important than money!
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I much prefer Vinyl playback to streaming for sound quality. Both my streamer and LP12 are top spec. Putting records on, collecting records and having a great turntable is important to me.
But definitely not for everyone and it it’s expensive if you are starting out from scratch.
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Before I parted company with my CD5 and Flatcap 2 set up and went to a ripped CD’s and DAC solution (documented elsewhere) I had all but parked my Rega Planar 3 of 1990’s vintage in favour of the CD5. An unplanned change to an amplifier that didn’t have a phono stage made me wonder if I should bother with vinyl again, but I had some vinyl that I didn’t have on CD so I got a very low cost Edwards phono stage and plugged it in. I was rather pleasantly surprised at what I got. By chance I got a Rega Exact cartridge and fitted that, but no sooner had I done that than the local shop I bought the Exact from called me up and demanded I bring the RP3 in to ensure the cartridge was correctly fitted. As it happened, I was going to be able to do that, so I did. In stead of simply tightening the screws, Ronnie, the salesman/technician started the exercise by completely going over the RP3. He then sorted out the cartridge. Suffice to say, the result was remarkable, but in some ways, I wish I had not been there to watch. He was very thorough…
So the advice about an RP3, even a properly fettled early one, and an Exact cartridge, certainly gets my vote. In my view, moving on from there is heading into the law of diminishing returns. I did just that and I have no regrets, but the point is, if you are looking to simply try this out, that is probably the lowest cost way of understanding why people like vinyl.
Then you need a reliable supplier of used vinyl. One of my favourite places is “Tony’s Table” in Okehampton market some Saturdays. Another is Deco Audio in Aylesbury, who have probably the best used vinyl store I have ever visited. If you want to spend a lot of money on 180gm new releases, they are available, and I have a couple of those too, but my 50 year old copies of Tomita and Traffic sounded just fine on the old RP3.
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