Good grief…you must be wondering where all this opposing doctrine comes from, including a mention of red flags (which in one of my professions is the equivalent of a dire warning).
Some of us here prefer vinyl, some prefer digital. Some people seem to think that thier opinions or choices are correct to the exclusion of all others!
You make your choices, it’s great that your wife is interested. Mine is too and this is a real benefit in the long journey.
You enjoy your music, by whatever format you decide upon.
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Here, Here!
My wife is also an enjoyer of vinyl. So much so, that I built her her own system with her own vintage LP12. It also has an ND5 XS2, so she has the best of both worlds.
Analogue, Digital… it’s all music and that’s what this is all about after all 
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Good for you! I generally end up preferring the most expensive option
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thanx!
A friend of mine started at the sub-£300 price point (using Supernait) and just didn’t use it much at all, so worth investing a reasonable amount.
I was gonna say go for the P6 but if a decent collection will take a long time to fund then I feel that’s more important.
However, I would try to home dem a P3 5oth at home, especially having read comments that it will not be good enough for your system. Perhaps collect end-of-play Saturday and return on the Monday or Tuesday morning when they re-open.
I have just come back from the demo. I have very little recent experience of vinyl and haven’t owned a turntable since the 80s. Consequently I have nothing to compare the 2 decks to except each other. I should also say the demo was with kit I have at home; SN3 and Spendor A7s.
I started with the p3 50th and it sounded great. I never knew vinyl could sound that good. There was no leanness to the sound, it was detailed, sound stage was good and every instrument was present and correct. I really enjoyed it. As I said in an earlier reply, I didn’t expect the same audio experience as streaming or CD and it was different but very good.
I then heard the p6 and it was clearly better. Everything was more distinct, soundstage was better, bass was better controlled. In comparison, the p3 50th sounded a bit ‘muddy’, less well resolved.
Having heard both, I knew I wanted to get back into vinyl. I also knew I wanted the p6. If I had not heard it, I would have settled for the p3 but as I have heard it, I knew that if I settled for the p3, good as it is, I would have been hankering for a p6.
Thank you again for all your views and advice, I really appreciate them and they helped.
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Great stuff!
I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun building up a new collection.
In case you’re not aware, modern re-issues are to my ears no where near as engaging as pressings made in the 80s, or earlier, when vinyl was in full swing. Sometimes modern pressings are quieter, but the magic is always diminished. Often they will use digital source material but even expensive new LPs made using the original master tapes are also disappointing - just think how much older those masters are now. Sometimes they have to bake the tapes in an oven to make them playable. That’s assuming they have been sent the real masters which is sometimes not the case.
I can’t find it now but Steve Hoffman had a great story when CBS tried to send him the Dylan master tapes for a Highway 61 re-issue he was doing. They tried about 20 times and each time, he’d say, ‘no that’s not it’. In the end they said, 'the only one left says “Do Not Use”, and Hoffman said, ‘That’s the one!’. Just illustrates that even the record labels have lost their knowledge about vinyl production.
Discogs is your friend when ordering - I just stick to NM (near mint) unless it’s something rare and silly money.
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Hey Stu, in a good way the least surprising outcome, Rega’s hierarchy is pretty solid and the good thing is at each level they equally manage to make music sound fun. Daughter’s P1 with ATVM95E sounds ridiculously good. Best of luck with your ongoing Vinyl journey.
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…and that story could be repeated a million times, all over the world. When you hear something that is clearly better, the lesser option usually becomes a memory!
Neat!
It’s such a mystery how the elements add up. I sense that Tancast plinth does make a difference.
It must do together with the sub platter and platter. Aside from a slightly different counter weight, they are the only real differences and must be responsible for the improvement in sound quality
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The tonearm bearings are also selected and fitted more carefully.
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I have not had a chance to listen to a P3 50th, but I have listened and compared a P6/Exact vs. a P3/Exact/TTPSU with the same system and the same room. This is what I observed:
Initially, the P3 seemed to have “bigger” bass. But after a while I concluded that the perceived “smaller” bass of the P6 was because it was tighter. It was as if the P6’s bass starts and stops quicker.
The P3’s bass characteristics also affects the mid-bass. Sometimes male vocals tended to be more throaty and heavy. Sometimes a good thing, while sometimes too thick in my opinion. Depending on the recording, sometimes the mids of the P6 would seem “thinner” as compared to the P3’s, but it was never bloated or too heavy as compared to the P3 on some recordings.
The P6’s mids and highs is what I think is the most notable difference as compared to the P3. It had a lot more air, smoother and separation was more pronounced as compared to the P3. It would seem that the P3 lacked top end extension.
Which is better all around? I don’t want to definitively answer that since it really depends on one’s preferences. What I can say is this, if most of my LPs have poor or thin recordings, I would go for the P3. But if I have more “audiophile” recordings, I would go for the P6.
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I have just picked up and set up my p6. Only 1 album in (Miles Davis, Round Midnight) but I am very happy so far.
I know what you mean about the bass and lower mids of the p3. When I demo’d them the p3 seemed to have more but they were a little ill defined and bloomy at times. The p6 was spot on, clearer and far better defined (to my ears). I guess there’s no right or wrong choice, just what your ears like and your wallet will put up with
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curious as to how you’re getting on weeks later…still sublime?
Expensive gear in general sounds less full than more budget stuff in my opinion. Why is that?
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Just my opinion…. Probably because expensive gear focus to be more neutral (perfect for excellent recordings and a well treated room), while less expensive gear tend to be euphonic or more colored.
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When I started listening to better gear I was told it’s the faster micro dynamics and less smear.
The challenge after upgrading one item is to balance the whole system out again until you’ve reached the (next level of) sound you like.
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Sorry for the very late response - for some reason the emails notifying me of posts all go to ‘junk’.
Yes, the p6 is brilliant and getting better. I really didn’t know vinyl could sound so good.
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