Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Hello there, I have found a Yamaha R-N602 for $250, and am looking to get a new table as well. Anyone know if that is a good amp for the price? Would I need a preamp with that as well?
 
kingjomanji said:
Hello there! I am fairly new to this, and have an entry level player that is fine but nothing to write home about. I would love to get a new player, as I have a nice set of speakers and sub thanks to my roommate. Budget is about $500, a bit flexible depending on quality vs price. I would like to get something relatively nice but not looking to spend thousands of dollars. Would be open to getting an amp eventually, if needed, though not quite yet.
What would you recommend that would put out some nice sound? Also, does Turntable Lab have anything worthwhile, equipment wise? I have too many records to be listening on something sub par. Thank you in advance, please stay healthy and safe all 🖤
Click to expand...
Still also looking for more recommendations!
 
*exhales*

dwdqwkok9k.gif


Alright, back here once more for some assistance if possible 🙏

The order for the Project Debut Carbon Esprit SB fell through because apparently [company] don't have the stock they thought they had and have been trying to get more while telling me it would be shipped just in a couple of days. Not a big issue as it's available elsewhere for the same price (£399) and can order one of them in a hot minute...

...but...

..another order placed a couple of months ago for something entirely unrelated fell through due to Covid-19 delays and it's something I don't really need any more in my current position. So that's an extra £200 coming in, and when looking at the ~£600 range of turntables it's just edging on getting the Rega Planar 3 with the Elys2 cartridge..

🤔
accurate depiction of me at this moment

So I'm wondering some things primarily:
  • Is this a good cartridge or stylus? I was going to have the Esprit with the Ortofon Blue as comparison
  • Is there anything I need to fundamentally know when considering a Rega?
  • Am I getting ahead of myself and should I stick to the Esprit + 2M Blue if the standard Rega + Elys2 is hitting the ceiling of the initial budget?
The last point is entirely possible as I'd become a fan of the look of the Esprit in black and had started to get a good head on potential future upgrades and what to expect when it landed. It's just with both the stand being still pre-built so measurements can be tweaked and the addiitonal unexpected cash I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to jump up a tier if intending to stick to it and upgrade elements to it and the setup (as I was w/ the Esprit) for the foreseeable future?

giphy.gif


Help me N&G elders 🙏 😂

Also the Pioneer PLX-1000 would have been in the runnings but the partner would prefer the "nicer looking" ones – those being more minimal – and considering the amount of good will I've used to now and will need when she sees how many records are actually incoming on the horizon it's probably best to not provoke the issue lol.
 
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Kyuuji said:
*exhales*

dwdqwkok9k.gif


Alright, back here once more for some assistance if possible 🙏

The order for the Project Debut Carbon Esprit SB fell through because apparently [company] don't have the stock they thought they had and have been trying to get more while telling me it would be shipped just in a couple of days. Not a big issue as it's available elsewhere for the same price (£399) and can order one of them in a hot minute...

...but...

..another order placed a couple of months ago for something entirely unrelated fell through due to Covid-19 delays and it's something I don't really need any more in my current position. So that's an extra £200 coming in, and when looking at the ~£600 range of turntables it's just edging on getting the Rega Planar 3 with the Elys2 cartridge..

🤔
accurate depiction of me at this moment

So I'm wondering some things primarily:
  • Is this a good cartridge or stylus? I was going to have the Esprit with the Ortofon Blue as comparison
  • Is there anything I need to fundamentally know when considering a Rega?
  • Am I getting ahead of myself and should I stick to the Esprit + 2M Blue if the standard Rega + Elys2 is hitting the ceiling of the initial budget?
The last point is entirely possible as I'd become a fan of the look of the Esprit in black and had started to get a good head on potential future upgrades and what to expect when it landed. It's just with both the stand being still pre-built so measurements can be tweaked and the addiitonal unexpected cash I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to jump up a tier if intending to stick to it and upgrade elements to it and the setup (as I was w/ the Esprit) for the foreseeable future?

giphy.gif


Help me N&G elders 🙏 😂
Click to expand...

so the rega planar 3 is probably about astep up the rung in terms of table quality from the the debut esprit that you were looking at.

Im not sure how that cartridge stacks up overall but I’ve heard bad things about the carts on the lowest regas and good things as you go up through the range. I’ll let someone else jump in on that.

One thing to consider. The rega has a manual speed change. You have to take off the platter and move the band onto a different rung of the platter every time you want to change from 33 to 45 and back again. This is a major pain if you’re into 7” or if, like me, you have a fair sized collection of albums cut at 45. The project you were looking at does it at the push of a button (it’s what the sb in the name stands for.

Also consider in your new range a pioneer plx1000 for £550. it doesn’t come with a cartridge but you could look at pairing it with a Grado gold (roughy £250) if that doesn’t break the bank!

if they have them in stock at the price you want I’d highly recommend www.analogueseduction.net as a dealer, I’ve bought nearly my entire system from them and they’ve always been fantastic with me.
 
Joe Mac said:
so the rega planar 3 is probably about astep up the rung in terms of table quality from the the debut esprit that you were looking at.

Im not sure how that cartridge stacks up overall but I’ve heard bad things about the carts on the lowest regas and good things as you go up through the range. I’ll let someone else jump in on that.

One thing to consider. The rega has a manual speed change. You have to take off the platter and move the band onto a different rung of the platter every time you want to change from 33 to 45 and back again. This is a major pain if you’re into 7” or if, like me, you have a fair sized collection of albums cut at 45. The project you were looking at does it at the push of a button (it’s what the sb in the name stands for.

Also consider in your new range a pioneer plx1000 for £550. it doesn’t come with a cartridge but you could look at pairing it with a Grado gold (roughy £250) if that doesn’t break the bank!

if they have them in stock at the price you want I’d highly recommend www.analogueseduction.net as a dealer, I’ve bought nearly my entire system from them and they’ve always been fantastic with me.
Click to expand...
I thought it might be – was the main reason for this pickle. Curiously had a look and realised it sits at the top of what I'd have around to spend now. Thank you for the link to Analogue Seduction - they do indeed have the P3 for the price I was eyeing so that would be a worthwhile pursuit if chosen. With these things and prices it's nice to have local testimony for buying.

I forgot to mention but edited it in around the PLX-1000. My partner's only real resistance in going from a 'Crosley-like' to whatever this setup now is has been she'd prefer one of the more minimal looking ones. Which might have been a fuss but there seems to be plenty of worthwhile minimal ones (which I assume are mainly cut between DD and belt?) across the scale. Being honest it would probably be easier to get her to sign off on a £ bump for a cartridge change if the Elys2 isn't considered worthwhile than the Pioneer itself.

My collection exists entirely of full 12" with one 10" coming but it would be naive to think I won't be looking to expand that out when more comfortable and I have the immediate ones that come to mind covered. It's a good thought to put out there though, as I can completely appreciate how that would become a point of irritation if the records I wanted to spin involved a belt change frequently. Is this a case of removing the platter, changing the belt and then replacing the platter or are there more things that can get knocked out of rhythm when switching?

At the moment it's looking like it's coming down to how decent the Elys2 is comparatively and whether the belt change irritation is worth the bump up. The RP3 itself would be fine for the price now but an extra £150-200 on top for the 2M Blue or alt. suggestion would probably be stretching it.

Oh, also to check – I know Rega do amps themselves but I'm guessing my new Onkyo A-9010 would work just as well with this and the setup chain similar to the Esprit?
 
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Kyuuji said:
I thought it might be – was the main reason for this pickle. Curiously had a look and realised it sits at the top of what I'd have around to spend now. Thank you for the link to Analogue Seduction - they do indeed have the P3 for the price I was eyeing so that would be a worthwhile pursuit if chosen. With these things and prices it's nice to have local testimony for buying.

I forgot to mention but edited it in around the PLX-1000. My partner's only real resistance in going from a 'Crosley-like' to whatever this setup now is has been she'd prefer one of the more minimal looking ones. Which might have been a fuss but there seems to be plenty of worthwhile minimal ones (which I assume are mainly cut between DD and belt?) across the scale. Being honest it would probably be easier to get her to sign off on a £ bump for a cartridge change if the Elys2 isn't considered worthwhile than the Pioneer itself.

My collection exists entirely of full 12" with one 10" coming but it would be naive to think I won't be looking to expand that out when more comfortable and I have the immediate ones that come to mind covered. It's a good thought to put out there though, as I can completely appreciate how that would become a point of irritation if the records I wanted to spin involved a belt change frequently. Is this a case of removing the platter, changing the belt and then replacing the platter or are there more things that can get knocked out of rhythm when switching?

At the moment it's looking like it's coming down to how decent the Elys2 is comparatively and whether the belt change irritation is worth the bump up. The RP3 itself would be fine for the price now but an extra £150-200 on top for the 2M Blue or alt. suggestion would probably be stretching it.

Oh, also to check – I know Rega do amps themselves but I'm guessing my new Onkyo A-9010 would work just as well with this and the setup chain similar to the Esprit?
Click to expand...

re: speed change, it is remove platter, move belt, replace platter. but if you have enough random 45rpm records it can quickly become a genuine annoyance. With some discographies--say, Radiohead--the releases fluctuate between 33 and 45 almost at random, and half the time you'll be ten seconds into the record before you realize it sounds wrong.

A push-button change or external belt is a nice perk.

You might consider the Pro-Ject X1. It has all of the attractive, minimal design of other Pro-Ject tables, but adds push-button speed change, VTA and azimuth adjustment, and a few other nice higher-end features. It's at the high end of your price range, but it does check all the boxes, and will be easier to futz with than the Rega if you ever want to change carts.
 
Kyuuji said:
I thought it might be – was the main reason for this pickle. Curiously had a look and realised it sits at the top of what I'd have around to spend now. Thank you for the link to Analogue Seduction - they do indeed have the P3 for the price I was eyeing so that would be a worthwhile pursuit if chosen. With these things and prices it's nice to have local testimony for buying.

I forgot to mention but edited it in around the PLX-1000. My partner's only real resistance in going from a 'Crosley-like' to whatever this setup now is has been she'd prefer one of the more minimal looking ones. Which might have been a fuss but there seems to be plenty of worthwhile minimal ones (which I assume are mainly cut between DD and belt?) across the scale. Being honest it would probably be easier to get her to sign off on a £ bump for a cartridge change if the Elys2 isn't considered worthwhile than the Pioneer itself.

My collection exists entirely of full 12" with one 10" coming but it would be naive to think I won't be looking to expand that out when more comfortable and I have the immediate ones that come to mind covered. It's a good thought to put out there though, as I can completely appreciate how that would become a point of irritation if the records I wanted to spin involved a belt change frequently. Is this a case of removing the platter, changing the belt and then replacing the platter or are there more things that can get knocked out of rhythm when switching?

At the moment it's looking like it's coming down to how decent the Elys2 is comparatively and whether the belt change irritation is worth the bump up. The RP3 itself would be fine for the price now but an extra £150-200 on top for the 2M Blue or alt. suggestion would probably be stretching it.

Oh, also to check – I know Rega do amps themselves but I'm guessing my new Onkyo A-9010 would work just as well with this and the setup chain similar to the Esprit?
Click to expand...
Can't comment about the decks, but the Onkyo will do you fine, at least for now.
 
Kyuuji said:
I thought it might be – was the main reason for this pickle. Curiously had a look and realised it sits at the top of what I'd have around to spend now. Thank you for the link to Analogue Seduction - they do indeed have the P3 for the price I was eyeing so that would be a worthwhile pursuit if chosen. With these things and prices it's nice to have local testimony for buying.

I forgot to mention but edited it in around the PLX-1000. My partner's only real resistance in going from a 'Crosley-like' to whatever this setup now is has been she'd prefer one of the more minimal looking ones. Which might have been a fuss but there seems to be plenty of worthwhile minimal ones (which I assume are mainly cut between DD and belt?) across the scale. Being honest it would probably be easier to get her to sign off on a £ bump for a cartridge change if the Elys2 isn't considered worthwhile than the Pioneer itself.

My collection exists entirely of full 12" with one 10" coming but it would be naive to think I won't be looking to expand that out when more comfortable and I have the immediate ones that come to mind covered. It's a good thought to put out there though, as I can completely appreciate how that would become a point of irritation if the records I wanted to spin involved a belt change frequently. Is this a case of removing the platter, changing the belt and then replacing the platter or are there more things that can get knocked out of rhythm when switching?

At the moment it's looking like it's coming down to how decent the Elys2 is comparatively and whether the belt change irritation is worth the bump up. The RP3 itself would be fine for the price now but an extra £150-200 on top for the 2M Blue or alt. suggestion would probably be stretching it.

Oh, also to check – I know Rega do amps themselves but I'm guessing my new Onkyo A-9010 would work just as well with this and the setup chain similar to the Esprit?
Click to expand...

yeah on the annoyance I agree with @kvetcha it isn’t the 7” that are the problem, when I’m in a singles mood I’m in a singles mood and I tend to spin a few in a row. It’s more that at this stage I have a lot of 12” albums cut at 45 between fancy MoFi masters, the Radiohead ones and band like Haim who have all their albums at 45. I find that much more of a grind because I don’t necessarily want to tailor album listing to a run of 45s or a run of 33s.

@Djxfactor511 to be honest id always avoid tables with built in phonos like the plague. I’d bet money in the phono built into the amp being better than any built into a table and I’d rely on it for now until a budget for an outboard one is in place.

Fair enough on the aesthetics. With the planar 3 long term they do an upgrade power supply that contains a speed change option, it is quite a lot of money as an upgrade on a table that price though.


And yeah an amp is an amp, some people like to match a brand across their system but so long as your amp has a phono stage (which yours does) you’re gold with a turntable. I’d still be looking at an outboard phono stage as a medium to long term upgrade though.
 
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What the hell? I started shopping out used tables in the $300-$500 range then escalated to potentially new tables in the $500-$800 range because, y'know, I just want that new car smell and not to have to worry about maintenance for like a good long time. Here I am seriosuly considering an open box 1210gr for $1300 (which incidentally has a hinged dust cover as the winning feature over where I was looking). What is actually wrong with me?
 
debianlinux said:
What the hell? I started shopping out used tables in the $300-$500 range then escalated to potentially new tables in the $500-$800 range because, y'know, I just want that new car smell and not to have to worry about maintenance for like a good long time. Here I am seriosuly considering an open box 1210gr for $1300 (which incidentally has a hinged dust cover as the winning feature over where I was looking). What is actually wrong with me?
Click to expand...

Nothing. That’s a great table! I wouldn’t mind a gr myself down the line...
 
Kyuuji said:
I thought it might be – was the main reason for this pickle. Curiously had a look and realised it sits at the top of what I'd have around to spend now. Thank you for the link to Analogue Seduction - they do indeed have the P3 for the price I was eyeing so that would be a worthwhile pursuit if chosen. With these things and prices it's nice to have local testimony for buying.

I forgot to mention but edited it in around the PLX-1000. My partner's only real resistance in going from a 'Crosley-like' to whatever this setup now is has been she'd prefer one of the more minimal looking ones. Which might have been a fuss but there seems to be plenty of worthwhile minimal ones (which I assume are mainly cut between DD and belt?) across the scale. Being honest it would probably be easier to get her to sign off on a £ bump for a cartridge change if the Elys2 isn't considered worthwhile than the Pioneer itself.

My collection exists entirely of full 12" with one 10" coming but it would be naive to think I won't be looking to expand that out when more comfortable and I have the immediate ones that come to mind covered. It's a good thought to put out there though, as I can completely appreciate how that would become a point of irritation if the records I wanted to spin involved a belt change frequently. Is this a case of removing the platter, changing the belt and then replacing the platter or are there more things that can get knocked out of rhythm when switching?

At the moment it's looking like it's coming down to how decent the Elys2 is comparatively and whether the belt change irritation is worth the bump up. The RP3 itself would be fine for the price now but an extra £150-200 on top for the 2M Blue or alt. suggestion would probably be stretching it.

Oh, also to check – I know Rega do amps themselves but I'm guessing my new Onkyo A-9010 would work just as well with this and the setup chain similar to the Esprit?
Click to expand...
Check the U.K. dealers for ex-demo P3 and then use the change to get the Neo 👍🏻👌🏻
 
debianlinux said:
What the hell? I started shopping out used tables in the $300-$500 range then escalated to potentially new tables in the $500-$800 range because, y'know, I just want that new car smell and not to have to worry about maintenance for like a good long time. Here I am seriosuly considering an open box 1210gr for $1300 (which incidentally has a hinged dust cover as the winning feature over where I was looking). What is actually wrong with me?
Click to expand...
Gotta love the mission creep.
 
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