Vinyl Audio

Equipment => Turntables => Topic started by: BSD2000 on March 21, 2012, 05:15:01 AM

Title: Rega turntable speed update and sample
Post by: BSD2000 on March 21, 2012, 05:15:01 AM
As many of you know, I replaced the plastic motor pulley on my Rega P25 with a stainless steel pulley from LP Turntables. (http://www.vinylaudio.net/forum/index.php/topic,250.0.html) Since then, I let the turntable run for quite a few hours to see if the speed improves and stabilizes. Good news - the speed has improved and is very close to where it should be. The speed is now +.7%, down from +1.2%. The speed is also stable without any wandering up or down.

Right now, I am running it without the thrust bearing installed and I don't notice any up or down movement of the motor shaft while it's running. I'm surprised how much quieter and smoother the motor runs without the bearing. Until I figure out what I'm going to do about the bearing (replace it, reuse it) I'll just run it the way it is.

I also took a few minutes to fine tune the cartridge alignment. It was sounding so good, I thought I'd share a sample:   :)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Lucky Man (Greatest hits LP, 1980)
Firefox or Opera
This was recorded @ 48k/24bit with my Apogee Rosetta, then encoded as a 320k mp3 file for streaming.

Later today I will try experimenting with the thrust bearing. I'll  give it a good cleaning, re-grease it and see how it runs with it installed. Who knows, maybe it will have just enough drag on the motor to keep the speed exactly 33 1/3rpm.  ;)[/size]
Title: Re: Rega turntable speed update and sample
Post by: lshin80 on March 21, 2012, 08:12:12 AM
So the 3D and vivid Rega sound is still present after the speed adjustment? Or has it changed somehow?
Title: Re: Rega turntable speed update and sample
Post by: BSD2000 on March 21, 2012, 05:37:25 PM
So the 3D and vivid Rega sound is still present after the speed adjustment? Or has it changed somehow?

Actually, I think the sound is a bit more realistic and 3D the closer you can get the speed to exactly 33 1/3 rpm. I find there is more of an effortless and ease to the music when the speed is correct.

I think the 'Rega sound' has more to do with the tonearm construction and the platter material used in Rega turntables than platter speed. IMHO, Rega builds some of the best tonearms for the price. The tight tolerance, friction-free operation of the tonearm bearings really help cartridges pull out the details and resolution from vinyl that other tonearms tend to gloss over. With most of the Rega turntable lineup, you're really paying for the quality of the tonearm since the rest of the construction is pretty much standard materials. For example, the plinth on my Rega P25 is basically particle board with a thin laminate glued on the surface.

What I would really like to see is a speed test on a new Rega turntable, maybe a RP6 or one of the higher end turntables like the P7 or P9. My P25 is 14 years old and I'm sure Rega made changes to improve the speed accuracy over the years, which would disprove the theory that faster platter speed is a factor of the signature 'Rega sound'. It also makes me wonder how accurate the new 24V motor upgrade would be on my P25, even without the external TT-PSU.
Title: Re: Rega turntable speed update and sample
Post by: BSD2000 on March 23, 2012, 05:02:43 PM
Another sample:

Rush - Big Money (Holland Import)