Rega - RP1 Turntable (Gray)

This is a review from a practical hifi enthusiast that enjoys listening to classical music from vinyl.I've been through purchasing many old pioneer turntables to enjoy classical music LPs. I also recently purchased and enjoyed then sold/returned these turntables that are available on the market.Denon DP-300F with Shure M97xEPro-ject RM-5.1 with Sumiko Blue Point No. 2Pro-ject Debut Carbon with Ortofon RedAnd finally comes back to old school Pioneer PL-750 with Audio-Technica AT-120E, which I still own and enjoy everyday in my family room.And suddenly I wanted my bed room system. GoPro went IPO and I was able to scoop some return on a small investment that made me feel like I could spend some.I love the aesthetic minimalist look of both project carbon debut and this Rega RP1. The thing with Pro-ject Debut Carbon was the vibration from the motor that made a miserable 400 Hz note - which I believe just quality control issue from the factory since many positive reviews for Debut Carbon says no hum. One thing that makes me wonder why this happened is the fact that Pro-ject specifies to unfasten the screw that holds motor so it can suspend on the rubber band for its most product lines except the debut carbon. It means the motor it chose to use for Debut Carbon has inherent vibration issue that would resonate with the natural frequency decided by the weight of the motor and the spring coefficient of the rubber suspension.Anyway... RP1 is free of hum in contrast to one of the reviewer's note. I will list some observation below<Good Things>- It's free of motor hum- Rumble is lowest I've heard which gives a lot of S/N ratio- You can hear a low buz at a very high volume but I heard a louder buz with Turntables with ground line too. So at least this is not the problem coming from lack of ground line at least when listened with the stock Rega Carbon cartridge- It's good looking with slender but solid plinth and thick stock resin platter- I like the simplicity of the tone arm with the anti-skating adjusted by the slide adjuster- Rega Carbon beats higher priced cartridges and is a definite upgrade to Ortofon low cost models such as OM 5e- This is ignored by many reviewer but the dust cover it comes with is built with quality- It plugs in to 110V outlet directly without using an adaptor- Tone arm elevation is adequately damped and the design is pleasing to use- Start and stop is immediate- I do not see pronounced wobble as some other reviewers concern. Yes you can see wobble greater than some aluminum die cast platters for DD turntables but check your LPs. No vinyl medium is super flat and the wobble created by them is much greater than the wobble on the platter.<Missing Feature>- Tone arm comes with weight that is preset for the stock cartridge. Yes you can adjust the tracking force but you will need a separate tracking force scale since you can't adjust the tracking force by simply reset at 0 then rotate the counter weight<Sound Quality Good and Bad>- Everything is great and S/N ratio is the one of the best I've heard, but there's a slight flutter that can be audible only for trained ears. This flutter is audible at a 8 KHz tone created by a triangle. I think this is inherent motor or bearing issue. I hope this goes away after the break in period of 48 hours. Listening to Jazz/Pop/Rock won't be much problem, even piano music.- Tonal quality is great with balanced bass and clarity of highs. Channel Separation is excellent as well.Overall, highly recommended for those who can live with a couple of limitations and want to spend $450 to enjoy music that is close to live show.---- UPDATE 7/29/2014Probably the flutter was a temporary thing. I do not hear it any more after 30+ hours of use. It must have needed a break-in period. I still like the design, material, and the functionality.

Horrible quality, the platter is warped.

Someone made a big mistake when they put the Ortofon cartridge on this table. The cartridge is too tall for this tonearm.It barely clears the record when the tonearm is lifted by the queing arm. If the record has a slight warp it will contact the record while it is lifted.The VTA is not adjustable as far as I can tell so this can only be solved by replacing the cartridge. Another issue I have with the ortophon is that it is a moving iron type like a Grado so it hums when near the center of the record near the motor. You need a Table like a Thorens for this cart,not a Rega,Project or Music hall. And to make things worse the cartridge was not aligned properly and did not sound good at all. I happened to have another cartridge from the turntable I was replacing. My old AT120E fit perfectly. In spite of this serious shortcoming I will praise this table for what it is,simple,high quality but unless you are experienced or are willing to learn how to replace and align a cartridge,set its tracking weight etc I dont recommend buying this. I am surprised that The sellers dont have any vinyl junkies in their employ that would notice these easily fixed serious flaws.

You see plenty of "audiophile" reviews...lots of upturned noses and fancy terms being spouted about all the nuances of proper listening. Reminds me of some of the cigar sites I shop at...experts everywhere with classy terminology. I'm sorry...but a turntable has to be pretty crummy before anyone can actually hear wow and flutter; and cigars don't taste nutty or fruity...they taste like nasty tobacco but someone has got to smoke them. The point is that it's more about taste than wisdom.This review is for those like me who just want to know that the reviewer had ears, rather than parroting terms and specs. I've been listening to vinyl since the 50's and I gotta tell you that there are two very important things that negate 90% of what the experts say about listening...#1: Musicians and recording/stage engineers are the only true experts when it comes to hearing music. They know what instruments are supposed to sound like...and they're aware that recordings just don't capture that...never have and probably never will, period... #2: If you need to have an expert tell you what you're listening for, then you should just stay blissfully non-particular about it.This table is amazing for what it costs...cheaply made but well engineered. Out of the box it will sound like crap but can be made to sound great fairly easily. Level it first and don't put it on a hollow cabinet/shelf or it will probably produce bass overtones. Much better to move the turntable around for level than to raise corners...feet need to be firmly planted. I chunked the cheap felt mat and used a dense rubber one from an old 70's Sony. Plan on replacing the cartridge right off. The stock one is horrible like those tweed covered "record players" we listened to the first Beatles 45's on. Not even tolerable, but put something like an AT440 on there and things change. Carefully position the cartridge with the paper gauge Rega provides. Also...use a Stylus Force Gauge and adjust counterweight...google it, it's easy. Important: too light and music isn't picked up...too heavy and you wear out the grooves. Also, don't pay any attention to Rega's antiskating advice of setting at 2. My method isn't very technical but it works...use a blank album side with no grooves. Johnny Winter's Second Winter album has one blank side like that - side 4. Place the needle somewhere in the middle of the blank record and it will skate like crazy forward or backwards: no grooves, remember. Ignore the numbers and set it so that the arm stays in one spot...or I like it with just a tich of forward movement. After adjustment, enjoy listening to the first 3 sides with grooves. With a new cartridge and a few adjustments I'm hearing Steve Howe's fingers hitting the strings on Roundabout intro...I'm hearing the air/ambiance on Allman Bros Dreams...Chick Corea's busted tine sound and Dave Weckl's kick drum attack - pretty good for a cheap table. There are negative things I could say if I was comparing it to a $1500+ table but I'll leave that for the "audiophiles". This table is very lightweight and won't survive a hard knock or wild party, but I just wanted something basic that I could upgrade, adjust and hear my old pristine vinyl albums on. I'm a picky listener but I love this table. It sounds as good as any of the mid range turntables of the late 70's...way better than the vintage disco tables.Just remember, no matter what you spend, you're not going to hear things that weren't originally put into the grooves; and we're talking about a lot of limitations between the pluck of a string and speaker output.

Great product. The Rega RP1 has always finished at the top of the polls over the years for its design, simplicity and sonic performance. Sets up easy, right out of the box. The sound at this price point is hard to beat. Plug it into a Rega Phono stage and you have something you can enjoy for a long time. Very satisfied.

この商品は米国の電源仕様（115V、60Hz）であり、東日本地区の100V、50Hzには対応していない。周波数が違うからプラッターの回転数が狂い、正確なピッチで音楽再生はできない。こんな商品をなぜ日本で売るのだろうか？

An excellent piece of audio art. The only changes I would make would to upgrade the cartridge but the the original is still one of the best for the price. Vendor somehow managed to get delivery sooner than promised despite shipping out here to the Middle of Nowhere.

Sounds absolutely incredible, a fantastic entry level turntable. Shipping was instant, much faster than the estimated delivery date. Excellent seller!

Love my new Rega turntable. Sounds great right out of the box.