Rega Planar 1 vs Audio Technica LPW30. Integrated amp vs amp and preamp?

[shmebilock]

Hello, from where I live, the Rega is about $30 more ($300) I understand that it is a better turntable in terms of quality, but the issue is that it does not have a pre amp, meaning I would need to buy an amp and a preamp compared to the LPW30 which would just need an amp. Would getting an integrated amp solve this issue in terms of reducing the added cost of needing both an amp and a preamp? I live in Japan, where there are a lot of options for used amps, but there seems to also be an abundance of AV recivers at a decent price... would that make more sense in this situation? Im on a tight budget so I would like to save as much as possible without sacrificing quality. Thanks.

 

[AnalogSteph]

These primitive board-style players to me are a symbol for how the turntable market has gone down the drain - any half-decent 1980s midrange player looks like space-age technology next to them. We can easily afford to throw some electronics at them but the mechanical side is... not that great. Reports of rather prominent motor noise close to the LPW30 are not exactly too confidence-inspiring. I realize the supply of used record players is not what it was and you can expect to invest some elbow grease, but still...

Besides, if your budget is that tight, how are you going to afford any records (unless the used market is your preferred hunting ground, and I imagine being in Japan you can get some neat stuff from the bubble era)? Vinyl is the kind of hobby for hipsters with disposable income these days. If we are talking modern releases, better buy digital to listen to (it'll sound better anyway) and put the occasional record on the shelf if you think it's got a neat cover that warrants it.

 

[shmebilock]

These primitive board-style players to me are a symbol for how the turntable market has gone down the drain - any half-decent 1980s midrange player looks like space-age technology next to them. We can easily afford to throw some electronics at them but the mechanical side is... not that great. Reports of rather prominent motor noise close to the LPW30 are not exactly too confidence-inspiring. I realize the supply of used record players is not what it was and you can expect to invest some elbow grease, but still...

Besides, if your budget is that tight, how are you going to afford any records (unless the used market is your preferred hunting ground, and I imagine being in Japan you can get some neat stuff from the bubble era)? Vinyl is the kind of hobby for hipsters with disposable income these days. If we are talking modern releases, better buy digital to listen to (it'll sound better anyway) and put the occasional record on the shelf if you think it's got a neat cover that warrants it.

Getting records aren't actually a problem for me, as I was recently given ~20 from the 70s-80s of albums which I actually would listen to. I also have a handful of new releases that i've bought over the years. I actually have an ion turntable that I received as a gift 5-6 years ago, but the rpm is slightly slow and I read that these types of players can damage my records which is why im now looking for a better setup. Since I posted here I found the Onkyo TX-8050(S) going for about $100... would this work well for the rp1+some bookshelf speakers. It also supports usb, so im assuming I would be able to run ALAC files as well? Thanks

 

[Roland68]

Hello, from where I live, the Rega is about $30 more ($300) I understand that it is a better turntable in terms of quality, but the issue is that it does not have a pre amp, meaning I would need to buy an amp and a preamp compared to the LPW30 which would just need an amp. Would getting an integrated amp solve this issue in terms of reducing the added cost of needing both an amp and a preamp? I live in Japan, where there are a lot of options for used amps, but there seems to also be an abundance of AV recivers at a decent price... would that make more sense in this situation? Im on a tight budget so I would like to save as much as possible without sacrificing quality. Thanks.

Take a look at the smaller models from Pro-Ject, e.g. a Debut III without a phono preamp, but I don't know what the availability is in Japan.
I decided on the older Debut III model because I liked the structure much better and used like mint and an intact system I couldn't go wrong for €150.

Two people I knew with Rega Planar 2 and 3 had advised me against it, but when we compared the devices against each other (all three next to each other with the same plates), both Rega Planars were suddenly defective or incorrectly set. Need I say more?
The Pro-Ject was definitely not worse and for a fraction of the price.

The carbon version with the acrylic turntable of the Debut III is sometimes available used like mint for € 200-300.

 

[Anderlfs]

The HiViNyws channel made some videos that proved how a Rega P1 is very capable, even against a more expensive Pro-Jects. The problem is that they don´t have anti-skating adjustment tu use with other cartridges, but there´s a tweak showed in this video. I had an Audio Technica with some of these preamps built in and it was so crappy that I had to open up and bypass It, not to mention other arm and plinth problems. Today I have a Rega Planar 2 with a Goldring cartridge and I'm more than satisfied. They make flawless turntables.