Rega RP10, Grado Statement 2, and Bryston BP-2 on order

[godwinaj]

Originally Posted by Catcher10

Me too, just read your other post. Great TT and cartridge, associated gear.....be patient with setup and you will be rewarded with lovely sounds.

Regarding your 30yr old records, there are record cleaning services that will treat them like gold for about $5 a record to clean them squeaky clean. Long term goal would be a RCM if you start hitting the used bins.....

https://www.perfectvinylforever.com/
(no affiliation)

Have fun!!

Bookmarked... Thanks for posting.

[ylee]

The Bryston BP-2 phono preamp/PS-3 power supply arrived today. The turntable/cartridge came at the end of last week. I spent part of the weekend setting up the cartridge.

I put the newly arrived record of Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic) on it. It's too early to draw conclusions right now as it will take several days for the TT/cartridge/preamp/PS to run/burn in. But I can say already the soundstaging and presence is absolutely incredible.

[PierreB]

Very nice turntable.

[ylee]

My initial impression so far is the Rega RP10/Grado Statement 2/Bryston BP2 combo is virtually identical in terms of detail retrieval as my DAC, with a very slight edge in terms of soundstaging, smoothness, and palpability - qualities vinyl is known for. I've compared my records to recordings in my digital library (24 bit, 96 or 192kHz FLAC files). This comparison makes me very happy, because with the vaunted advantage vinyl has over digital my DAC is proving to hold its ground in musicality, and because the Totaldac is renowned for its performance in the digital domain the RP10 is demonstrating it can go toe-to-toe with one of the best DACs in the world as far as delivering insight into the music. Anyone looking for a $12k vinyl rig I highly recommend this combination. From reviews by industry luminaries such as Michael Fremer (re: the RP10) and Harry Weisfeld (re: the Grado), these units are competitive with far more expensive options. Ivan can set you up with a good deal too.

[miner]

^ second that statement by PierreB. I am partial to Regas,

[ylee]

Thanks everyone. I am extremely happy.

After installing the cartridge and setting the tracking force (which was pretty easy), it took me a couple days to tweak the anti-skating adjustment (which affects channel balance) by comparing imaging/soundstaging between the RP10 and my DAC using their respective media of the same pieces/songs. I think I'm done with this as imaging from both sources seem pretty identical.

Setting up a turntable is a very mechanical process, whereas setting up a DAC is almost entirely via software. The two paradigms couldn't be more different.

I am really enjoying my turntable. I've taken out my old 45s and LPs I had lying around for 30 - 40 years. Listening to them today with the fidelity my vinyl rig provides is a revelation. Little did I know in my teen years the sound quality that hid in those grooves!

It's interesting that my DAC cost 3 times as much as my vinyl system. They're extremely close in performance. I guess this shows the inherent advantage of vinyl. While the gap between vinyl and digital has closed considerably, achieving similar performance requires you to spend considerably more for digital.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by ylee

Little did I know in my teen years the sound quality that hid in those grooves!

I suspect your equipment profile of your teens wasn't close to what you have today !

It's interesting that my DAC cost 3 times as much as my vinyl system. They're extremely close in performance. I guess this shows the inherent advantage of vinyl.

I don't think this is true, actually just the opposite ,todays best analog requires much more time(effort), $$. The mastering of the music still determines so much.

While the gap between vinyl and digital has closed considerably, achieving similar performance requires you to spend considerably more for digital.

???? , sorry , couldn't disagree more

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Mikado463

???? , sorry , couldn't disagree more

The answer to that is it depends on how you spend your money. The Rega RP10, at roughly $5k, easily plays on a level with 5-figure tables. Once people get past their prejudices about Rega as an entry- or mid-level brand, and the thinking that they have to have adjustable VTA (in some tables yes, but not all), they’ll find one of the real bargains of hi-if. You’ll need to spend a lot more on digital to beat it when set up with a great cartridge. Michael Fremer said, “...in every way it’s up there with the best I’ve reviewed...”

[mulveling]

Nice setup!!

I have 2 of the on-the-fly VTA tonearms (Graham Phantom, Clearaudio Universal). Once I set VTA to a level I like (usually with cartridge body parallel), I never feel the need to change it again or fine-tune. I certainly don't want to tweak VTA "on the fly" between records; what a pain! In fact I wish my CA arm didn't have the VTA riser option, I think it might compromise rigidity.

[Mikado463]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

The answer to that is it depends on how you spend your money. The Rega RP10, at roughly $5k, easily plays on a level with 5-figure tables. Once people get past their prejudices about Rega as an entry- or mid-level brand, and the thinking that they have to have adjustable VTA (in some tables yes, but not all), they’ll find one of the real bargains of hi-if. You’ll need to spend a lot more on digital to beat it when set up with a great cartridge. Michael Fremer said, “...in every way it’s up there with the best I’ve reviewed...”

I hear you Tony, trouble is there's a lot more $$ involved......TT, Cart, Phono Pre, RCM, cleaning supplies, etc that will put you way past the 5k mark.

As for Fremer's comment, borderline useless since we all know of his 'vinyl bias' !

Again, Analog or Digital greatness is in the mastering ...........