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REVIEW: Rega P1 Turntables

69.180.124.218


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Model: P1
Category: Turntables
Suggested Retail Price: $350
Description: Entry level TT complete with cartridge, tone arm and dust cover
Manufacturer URL: Rega

Review by robber on October 24, 2007 at 16:56:08
IP Address: 69.180.124.218
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for the P1


Recently I decided to give vinyl a spin. Being 29, I did not grow up with turntables and knew very little about them. What I do know is that I have tried for a very long time to become completely satisfied with digital sound. I thought that SACD and DVDA (both of which I can play at home) would be enough to keep me happy but that has failed to hold true. I would rather listen to music than watch TV, but hardly do because after an hour I have had enough.

I purchased the P1 from Larry at Hollywood Sound in Hollywood, FL. (Local for me) Larry is a great guy who has been in the business for over 20 years-same location his ads on Audiogon state. This was my first dealer purchase in over 10 years. I figured that since I knew nothing about playing records Larry's expertise would prove valuable. The assumption was correct. I purchased the P1, which comes complete with a cartridge, tone arm and dust cover. I also opted for the optional Rega glass platter for $60 something. Finally I picked up a Hunt E.D.A MK VI carbon fiber brush. Although the P1 is a plug and play unit, Larry took it out of the box, double-checked all of the settings and completely set the table up. They were spot on, but according to Larry 15% or so of these tables need minor adjustments.

When I finally got the table set up at home I loaded up Steely Dan "Aja" and sat back. This was the first time in my life listening to an LP in a decent system, and I immediately "got it". I am going to try and stay away from all of the b.s. audiophile terms, but I will say that the music simply flows out of this machine. It does not have the extension (in either direction) that my digital rig does, it also does not have the resolution either. However, I don’t care. Immediately, you can tell that you are listening to something completely different. I would liken the effect to the first time I heard tubes, but to an even greater extreme.

I would agree with Stereophile in saying that the overall character of the P1 is a little dark, but at the same time I feel more connected to the music than ever. Why, I can’t explain, but I think this is the whole point of listening to this medium.

Steely Dan became more about rhythm and emotion versus how much punch the kick drum had, or how quickly Walter Becker’s fingers were moving on the strings of his guitar.

Listening to Neil Diamond “On The Way To The Sky” is simply one of the most enthralling experiences I have had listening to my system in the 17 years I have been in the hobby. His voice floated between my Quad active monitors with a sense of weight, depth and naturalness (here we go with the god damn adjectives) that I have never before experienced. It is so natural and involving- what listening to reproduced music should be all about.

I purchased an Isaac Hayes LP locally for $1. I put this in and again it was a different experience. I almost felt like I had rhythm and could dance! I am a 6-2 white dude known as an awful dancer, zero rhythm. I don’t go to clubs- I am sports bar guy- however- and I am being dead honest- I actually got a better sense of how to move to the music. Again, it was not about attributes I usually tie to my digital rig, it was about something else entirely.

Even better, I was able to google a local record store over the weekend “Yesterday and Today Records” in Miami. Bob was working and in the same fashion as Larry from Hollywood Sound he was extremely helpful and just a good guy to talk with. His music savvy was incredible- as was the selection of 33s. These guys do this because they love it- not because they are trying to push product or their biases.

Now the down side- Vinyl is a gargantuan pain in the ass. I have already come to the conclusion that I need to spend close to if not more than what I have already sank into the P1 on a record-cleaning machine. I can deal with the occasional click and pop and have, but the thrift store records I bought for literally next to nothing need more than what I can do in the sink. Also don’t forget to store it vertically, use a completely different solution for cleaning 45s than 33s, “dry wash” before every play and always keep that stylus clean! And people bitch about biasing tubes every once in a while! But hey this is a hobby right?

Yes it is, and for me- more rewarding than ever!

Suggestions, Reccomendations and Comments encouraged. thanks


Product Weakness: None- unless you want to get critical.
Product Strengths: Liveliness, emotion, character and music involvement


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Active Speakers
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Bottlehead Foreplay II- completely juiced
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Rega P1
Speakers: Quad 12l Active
Cables/Interconnects: Tributaires and Ioxis
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Numerous
Room Size (LxWxH): 14 x 12 x slope
Room Comments/Treatments: Fairly well dampened. Not dedicated to audio though
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Chang Lightspeed CLS3200
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Rega P1 Turntables - robber 16:56:08 10/24/07 ( 25)