Conference hips::uk_audioo

    Keep the Rega Planar 3. Possibly upgrade the Arm (how old is it ? �150
    makes me think it is old.). Flog the Ariston. My 2p worth, but I'm
    biased.
    
    Clive

    
    I would be surprised if you made very much selling essentially budget
    turntables second-hand these days. Who's going to want one ? Unless
    you're desperate for the odd 50 quid, why not keep them. However, maybe
    there is a market, what do I know...
    
    Trevor

    I think there is still a market for second hand Rega-3's - probably
    almost what you payed for it. I'm not sure of the Ariston but I
    wouldn't really expect that much. So on purly financial terms sell the
    Rega.
    
    
    Having said that ... I would sell the Ariston.
    
    The basic Rega-3 (Not the arm) hasn't changed since dot and has a projected
    life span of 20 odd years. It should sound as good now as the day you
    bought it (Except for cartrige ware).
    
    You could always add the RB-250 or RB-300 arms to the Rega-3 (I guess you
    have the old silver RB-100). I use to have a RB-300 (pre-production)
    fitted to a LP-12 and it sounded better than a Ittok ... Which led to a
    very interesting chat to a certain Glasgow companies MD - but that's
    another story.
                 
    If the 33/45 RPM swapping causes you a problem then you could always fit
    a Lingo to the Rega ... I guess this is possible as I've seen a
    Valhala kit on a Rega� - maybe you could pick up one of those for �10...
    
    	Rik
    
    �On second thoughts it may be difficult as the Rega doesn't have a
    motor ``cap'' and I'm not sure how it would cope with the -ve part of
    the sign wave

    I too would keep the Rega.  Though don't expect much for either deck,
    there are so many LP12's out there for next to nothing.  I failed to
    sell my Systemdek, but I've kept it and added a Valhalla and it's
    really good, so I'm pleased it didn't sell.  Definately add a Valhalla
    to the Rega if at all possible.

	hmm. yes, but what is the problem? you don't seem too
	unhappy...

	i assume you could get round the fiddly to change speeds bit
	by adding a switching box.

>The Rega takes longest to reach operating speed.
	
	i think the documentation for my Rega says to set it spinning
	and then leave it spinning until you've finished. in other
	words, don't stop it at the end of a record. 
	
	
	
	jack 

>>    there are so many LP12's out there for next to nothing.  I failed to

How much is 'next to nothing' for an LP12, and where should I look for one?

thanks,

...Art

    Be careful about paying `next to nothing' for a LP-12.
    
    They are a precision piece of kit and can be damaged quite easily. But
    having said that if you know what you looking for then there may be
    some bargains to be had. If you are serious about getting an LP-12 then
    I would be happy to lend an ear / offer advice - remember bringing an
    old LP-12 upto current spec could cost a small fortune...
    
    	Rik Watson (7) 782 2238

    By next to nothing for an LP12 I meant from �200 upwards.  I know of
    one recently that was sold for �200, cost another �100 to bring up to
    a good spec by a dealer.  This only had a Basik arm.  
    
    With deals like this it's not too tempting to spend say, �180 on a
    lesser deck.  Most of those buying decks now probably want one that will 
    see them out with their existing record collection and a 2nd hand LP12
    should prove a very serviceable buy.

Sell 'em both and get an LP12... thats one I never thought of... 
Interesting. Mind you tempting as this is I'm quite happy with both
decks.. and It might take a bit of convincing the wife....

I just wondered which would be considered the best to hang on
to. Its not that I'm desperate for the cash, but it just seems 
such a waste.

I suspected the Rega would be best, but after trying various things
I couldn't really find much audible difference .   This
surprised me a little because I'd compared the Rega before with a
Linn Axis... and they were *totally* different. (I thought the Rega 
sounded better (!), and thats why I got it). I also compared both
with an LP12 just to verify my ears were working...... and yes the
LP12 did stand out. 

The Ariston was sort of a gift.

Only other thing is that for some reason my Linn K9 cartridge has 
a noticable hum in one channel when I fit it to the Rega, and its
barely noticable on the Ariston. Not sure why that should be, but I
suspect the cartridge itself may be faulty.

Dave

>Only other thing is that for some reason my Linn K9 cartridge has 
>a noticable hum in one channel when I fit it to the Rega, and its
>barely noticable on the Ariston. Not sure why that should be, but I
>suspect the cartridge itself may be faulty.
    
    The Rega arm often causes hum, you may need to talk to someone who
    knows how to cure this.  There's a good chance it isn't the K9.
    
    BTW anyone got a spare RB300 I could buy, I'm after one for my
    Systemdek?

Someone please tell me how I can get a Valhalla board for my
REGA for �10?

Hopeful of Basingstoke.

    The �10 was a guess but I would have expected that there would have
    been a glut of old Valhalla boards around your local Linn dealer due to
    Lingo updates.
    
    When I worked at a Hi-Fi shop customers would come in to get a new arm
    fitted and often just leave their arm with the dealer ``its no use to
    me'' - I expect the same to apply to Valhalla boards.
    
    Of course you'll have to find a bot to put it in but I wouldn't expect
    that to be a problem.
    
    	Rik

    Ah well. I had an RD80 when I bought my first Linn; I couldn't sell it
    at a reasonable price then (1986). As I was going to have to virtually
    give it away I did just that, and my father-in-law is still using it.
    
    If I was a punter, I'd be cagey about any used suspended subchassis
    turntable, not just Ariston or Linn, but at least with Linn you have a
    good chance of finding a dealer who can check it out. Aristons were
    mostly sold in sealed boxes; they needed as much attention as a Linn to
    get them working right, but the pricing never allowed dealers enough
    margin for the time they had to spend.  the only thing in favour of my
    Ariston was that it taught me about turntable setup problems.
    
    The Rega would sell faster, but that's probably because it's better,
    which means it's the one to keep.
    
    Dave

Hello,

I have a very old Rega 3 with RB100 arm ( +AT95E ). Can anyone tell me how much 
it would cost to have a RB300 fitted ? Considering turntables don't come much 
simpler than the REGA - can I fit the arm myself ?  Is it really worth my 
while to upgrade - will there be a major performance improvement ?.

Thanks in advance,

Ian.

    The RB300 is trivial to fit. You can easily do it yourself but there
    should be no charge from a dealer.
    
    I personally think that the RB300 is a very good arm indeed and
    definatly worth the money - but only your ears sna tell you this...