That is interesting geko, I had dems of both the RP10 and P10 with thoughts of replacing my LP12, but both ultimately left me more impressed than moved if that makes sense.
What phono stage were you using with the Naia out of interest?
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I was asked this the other day and Iām a bit of an ignoramus when it comes to anything other than Naim. It was a shop demo, so Iām sure they were using something at Regaās top level.
Iām really trying to resist having a home demo as I just canāt justify that much cash tied up in vinyl. Iāve only just recovered from an ND555 and second PS purchase! The wife would have (a litter) kittens if I came home with that. Trouble is I know what I heard, I like what I heard and I really want one!
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To quote Bo Diddley, āYou canāt judge a book by its cover.ā
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Well, I can judge what it looks like!
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Very interesting. Like you and ocspercey, I respected and enjoyed the P10 but wasnt inclined to swap it for an LP12, new or modern, but this sounds like something more up my street.
If you like a silent noise floor, Iād say this is your problem.
Keep the reports coming. I have frequently said when my dealer stops servicing my LP12 I will make a move to a plug and play Rega. Time may be getting close.
Is it truly plug and play? Absolutely nothing that a ham-fisted lug like myself needs to do to get it playing?
Itās interesting that some of the comments about the sound of the Naia seem to vaguely echo the comments that were made about the Chord Hugo when it was first introduced. Most people seemed to love it and thought it was a genuine game-changer. But there were, and still are, a few dissenters who claim it is the work of the devil!
I havenāt haerd an LP12 since I last owned one around 30 years ago. I had it for around 14 years before I made the complete swap to CD. Memory can be dangerously deceptive but for me itās greatest strength was the way it just organised all the information off a disc into a completely coherent musical whole. Everything just made complete musical sense - every cymbal stroke, every drum beat, every whispered backing vocal just meant something important in the musical picture that was painted. Iāve genuinely never heard anything else since that has quite managed to achieve that level of magic. My current Melco N100 / Chord Qutest sounds excellent in isolation, but Iām fairly sure that if I heard it next to an LP12 I would probably feel like taking a hammer to it. Which is why Iāll never listen to an LP12 again - I simply canāt afford the expense of a record player. Not to mention starting a new vinyl collection.
If the new Rega can achieve an LP12-like musical coherence - and then some - it must be something extraordinarily special. The plug and play nature of it, without the pain of having regular set-ups by a dealer and with no ādrifting offā over time is a major advantage and shouldnāt be under-estimated. The thought of it is enough to almost make me sell-up and buy one. Even if I could only afford a budget amp and speakers with it!
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If it is like the P10 then yes. Comes in the box with cart fitted. You just plug it all in and set the VTF and anti skate. 10 minutes later you are playing music
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That type of plug and play will eventually be my future
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And with a cue lever too. Bliss!
One obstacle for me would be the need for an extra shelf. Currently I use a Urika, which is situated inside the turntable. This Rega offering (indeed all Rega) would require an off board phono amplifier. But it does look visually appealing.
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I do find it strange that so far not one dealer has also set the P10 up with the same cartridge as the Naia so you can hear them both on a level playing field. Not even rega themselves have demonstrated it as far as i know.
So come on do it or is the difference not that great or maybe not even noticeable???
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I had the aphelion 2 on my P10. It was better than the apheta that is generally paired with the P10 but not a huge difference.
Was with @BasicallySound, two weeks ago, auditioning one or two thingsā¦
Their demonstration Rega Naia arrived during the morning.
At some point, Graham set it up in the next demoā room, with their Naim 300 system, which was left out from their 300 series demoā session, previous evening.
Later that day, realised it was being used in the next room and curiosity drew me in. Just for fun, Graham played a few tracks and we both marvelled at the āstraight out of the boxā music we were listening to. We also played several tracks from a favourite David Sylvian album. So, familiar material too.
It was stunning. Enjoyed it more than the 333 + 300 from the previous night.
I was also struck with how nicely constructed the Naia was. Really well engineered, beautifully finished materials. Iām not normally a fan of the Rega skeletal direction. But have to admit, close up, the Naia is impressive. It just oozes quality.
Time was against me and I left Tony and Graham as they were swapping out the Aria phono, to replace with an Aura and then give that a listen too.
Wondering if that was maybe even better? (Must remember to ask them how they got on with that).
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So, which David Sylvian album is your favourite?
Tend to prefer his earlier worksā¦
ā¦Brilliant Trees is probably in my top 100 albums. (Impossible to do a top 10). It gets played a lot in our house. Along with Secrets of the Beehive (1987) and Dead Bees on a Cake (1999). All much lovedā¦
Posted this recentlyā¦
Happy listening
R
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your answer is anticipating my question: is there someone who made a ont to one comparison P10 vs Naia? The cost differnce is huge and the diminishing return law could be really severe
Dealerās should have both, and should be fine to demo it
Iād want to know how much of any improvement is down to the new arm and how much to the deck.
Would it make much difference in practice?
By the time youād (say) added the new arm to the P10, youād not be very far away in terms of total price I would have thought.
Interesting experiment though, maybe one for the dealers amongst us who have both to hand!
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