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Rega RB 1000 - Outgunned by Origin Live?

After years of Sotas, Regas, Thorens, etc etc I have done a U-turn in thinking I bought a Technics SL1210. In fact, I was spurred on by things I read on this site and a tip-off from a friend. The turntable is great, but I am not convinced about the Technics arm. So, I've bought a plate that can take Origin Live and Rega tonearms. I have an opportunity to buy a 2nd hand Rega RB 1000. However, I haven't seen much written about this arm. It won product of the year in it's category quite a few years ago and that's all I can find. Does anyone out there have any first hand experience or knowledge of this arm? It seems (at least when bought new) to be rather expensive for what looks like an RB300 with better bearings and lack of black paint. Do the the Origin Live arms (I'm thinking the Silver) really have the edge over the RB1000 (at least in the positive reviews). The Silver has been put onto SL1200s for some time and seems to work well. But that RB1000 looks pretty fine...
dsa

Showing 2 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
05-04-08: Cmk
Hi Cytocycle
Interesting comment about the Technics arm. I think Kevin feels the M5G version with the upgraded tonearm wire is good enough that it may not be necessary to rewire the arm.
I have an M5G, and while the upgraded wiring may not be quite up to what a fresh rewire with Cardas or Kimber would offer, I have no complaints and have never felt that the M5G tonearm wire holds the turntable back.

Get a Sumiko headshell or at least get upgraded headshell leads and clips.

I will also testify that the KAB fluid damper helps the the stock tonearm reach its potential. The tonearm's fine balance and extremely low bearing friction are now modulated by the damping fluid, eliminating groove chatter and minimizing overshoot. Suddenly there's plenty of soundstage and I can "hear the room," no question.

I lo-o-o-o-o-ve my SL1210 M5G with fluid damper, better mat, and record clamp. It draws me into any kind of music I throw on the platter--classical, country, rock, jazz, solo, small ensemble, or large--it all draws me in and moves me. Sometimes the music I play on this rig haunts me for days.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

Johnnyb53
The soundstage you get, is it 3D on good recordings? I was a bit concerned about the HifiWorld review with the modded RB250 where the reviewer mentioned the soundstage was somewhat 2D.
Are you kidding? When I sit in the sweet spot I feel like I'm on the threshold of a sonic hologram. In fact, several reviews of the SL12x0 series mention that they're good with depth, not so good with width. But I have both now by getting the Sumiko headshell/Denon DL-160 combo, replacing the stock headshell gasket with a thinner one, adding the fluid damper, and platforming the TT to drain vibration.

All those tweaks delineated the soundstage very well--widened it and added definition to the depth. It always had depth; now it presents depth to the back of the stage of a concert hall when recorded that way.

I have a Columbia "Great Performances" reissue of Stokowsky conducting the Bizet Carmen and L'Arlesienne suites, and the soundstage is breathtaking. It haunts me in between listenings.

I also have some live jazz records--L.A. Four at a jazz festival and the Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall, and in both cases I feel like the sounds line up in my living room like they did in the original performances.
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