I thought i was purely a streaming person, however on a whim i purchased a rega lp3 sl a couple weeks ago. My father in law has been going through a rough patch with his two best buddies passing on. He lives down just a few miles down the road and has a nice album collection, and no real means to play them, and wanted to have them converted to playable files. I am quite smitten with turntable listening all of the sudden, it just seems more real compared to my ndx2. My question is, how much better is a linn lp12?
Significantly better in all aspects except price, which can be mitigated by purchasing a second-hand LP12 and getting it serviced. I would go to a dealer and compare the two and decide if the SQ uplift is worth the money for you. Many are happy with the Rega 3.
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Yes that i will do. There is gentleman somewhat local to me that recondition s lp12 ās.
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If you buy a Rega 3 youāll always wish youād bought a Sondek. Yet to hear of anyone who feels the opposite.
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Yes an LP12 will be significantly ābetterā than a P3 but the LP12 has very significant competition including from the better Regas. Then there is Avid, Vertere, Michell etc all of whom offer excellent alternatives. And also what level LP12?
Demos essential.
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No loads of Rega 3 owners out there who are very content. As good as the Sondek is letās not over hype.
Well, IMHO I own a both a Rega and an LP12 and there is no contest.
If youāve Sondek money and already purchased a Rega why not try the p8 or better still the p10? At least with those turntables youāll avoid the inevitable upgrade merry-go-round!
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Turntables seem to be a matter of passion like many other bits of Hifi. I went the Rega route after back to back testing a P10 vs a LP12 as an upgrade from my RP6: I chose the P10 as like for like at the same price point a similar spec LP12 was just a little different and for me not better and I wanted to avoid an upgrade over time with bits to one 4x the price. I of course ended up buying a Naia later. When I played some original recording for my brother when he was up to visit. We had first listened to a selection of tracks he wanted to on Streaming and CD (he has a 4x 135 based setup at home). Then I put on some 60s recorded Jazz and his jaw dropped. Itās really a remarkable way to listen to Music.
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Fine, Iām just saying that no doubt there are many RP3 who donāt hanker after an LP12. And move away from the confines of this forum and you will see there is a lot less adulation for a Linn. From my point of view Iāve had many wonderful great listening sessions on the old fruit box, it makes great music, Iām just saying thereās a lot of competition.
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Could the Sondek enthusiasts put into words the sound improvements brought to the listener by a better deck and how much of that improvement is attributable to being able to handle a better cartridge?
Once I replaced the capacitor on my old RP3, I have never been conscious of rumble, wow etc
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To answer the exam question, much better. My daughter has a P3. Only the OP can decide if the improvementās worth the money of course and that requires a demo I guess.
On a side note, & quite apart from the improvement in SQ I wouldnāt underestimate the pleasure of using something which is of superior build quality, made from superior materials etc. And an Added bonus for me at least - it looks like a record player. Something which may or may not be important to the OP.
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Two points, from my use of Regas and LP12s since the early 1980s. These comments are subjective, but Iām as sure as I can be of anything that:
An LP12 is better than a Rega P3
That a Rega P10 is as good as LP12s (this is very subjective)
A P10 and a high level LP12 sound different to each other.
Whichever way, you have started to discover the potential of vinyl.
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Worth going to see him. I have had my LP12 for over 40 years, and it is now at around Selekt level. Buying an older LP12 and upgrading it is a very cost-effective.
Iāve owned plenty of Regaās of varying levels and the same with LP12. They sound different, and iāve never considered any Rega to be better than an LP12, even in its basic form. You need to listen to decide yourself.
If i wanted an LP12 alternative that was on the same level or maybe better, iād look no further than a Well Tempered Simplex.
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I got the p3sl which i think is almost comparable to a p6, i am looking at used lp12 so im not sure. Im going for a listen today. I certainly like the wood lp12 aesthetic.
Well itās ultimately personal preference. The Linn is obviously great and with a good dealer a good used example can be bespoke to your specifications. But once you get beyond Ā£5k youāre in RP10, Vertere DG, Avid, Michell Gyro territory and the game is on!
Enjoy the demos!
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Dear Dfreshness,
I have an LP12 and forum members please jump in here. I live in a rural area that is both adjacent to grazing cattle and the coast, and suffers from dust and salt spray. I like the lid on the LP12 to help keep the TT mat and LPs clean and prevent dust and salt residue from accumulating as much as possible.
I do not know if Rega TTs have a lid. From advertisement pictures I have seen, they appear not to.
Please see my XS2 profile and equipment for more details. As I live a reasonable distance from HIFI stores and did not wish to go on an endless loop of to and fro to stores, I took my NAIM sales agentās recommendations and have not been happier. I also had another moment of joy on Thursday as I had a 2 metre band amateur radio added to the 4wd. Now, travelling is not so lonely.
Warm regards,
Mitch in regional Oz.
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My comments maybe irrelevant as my P3 and LP12 are from different eras, but I vividly remember my P3 sounds like a very good CD player. I always thought itās a tad lean sounding, not feel like records anyway. I had to look for warmer carts all the time. One day after a good comparison CD players and dac, obviously the sound of a P3 just doesnāt justify the rather large investment of records, and I ditched it not long after. Moving on with a cirkus LP12 itās impressive sound of records, and for my personal taste I found the pre cirkus (black liner) even better.
I think the two brands hold different philosophy of design, with Linnās āsource firstā vs Rega sources are largely neutral, that the Rega sound mostly comes from the amps. I used to own P3+Aria+Elex-R+RX5 before Naim.
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I am with @LindsayM .
I considered dumping vinyl c2000 before I heard a Rega Planar 2 playing in a record shop. After some store demos, I bought a used Planar 3 with a fresh Exact and a new Fono pre.
So satisfied was I that I upgraded to the Rega Aria pre as I planned to try MC in about 2014. Then, about 2018, a few months before the current P10 was announced, I bought a perfect one-owner RP10/Aphelion for $5K, which was about half price vs new. This was clearly a nice improvement, but did not diminish my love and respect for the old 3.
Last I heard recently, my dealer is still using my Planar 3 (with some mods) in one of his personal systems.
My story informs not at all about comparison to Linn, of course. I have heard them at dealers many times over the years and have always been impressed. I think the dealer who scooped up my 3 for himself has a Sondek in his best system. He sells both.
In the end, I preferred the fact that mods available for the Regas are relatively few, and they all amaze me right out of the box.
Pretty sure @Dfreshness will be happy whatever choice is made from here.
I should say I bought a new Technics SL-1200G + Nagoka MP-500 MM + Graham Slee Jazz Club pre for my second system recently. I have not compared directly with the RP10 in the same system, but am pleased with the new table so far, and looking forward to setting it up to play some 78s.
Nick
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