Nottingham Spacedeck vs Rega Planar 8 vs Technics SL1200G


Hey Everyone,

An analogue newbie needs your advice.

Firstly I am not looking for any TT recommendations other than these 3.

My system is Devore O96, and the amplification would be either Lyngdorf 3400/Coincident Frankenstein combo or a Shindo pre/amp combo (forthcoming). The phono stage is TBD.

The sound I like is rich, full-bodied, with a good bass (I love percussion, and the double-bass instrument and  Mingus is my fav jazz artist). I am very sensitive to even a hint of brightness. I don't care about the typical audiophile presentation -- gobs of detail and soundstage but no soul.

My music of choice is jazz, vocals and small-scale instrumentals. No rock, no pop, no western classical.

Would love your thoughts on these 3 choices.

Since I am a newbie, easy setup is big win, which might tilt me towards the Rega or Technics, but with Nottingham I have a great dealer support that I would completely miss out on if I went with Technics (no Technics dealer in a 5000 mile radius).

I used to own a Rega RP6, so am familiar with Rega sound, and like it. But my RP6 was bested by my DAC (AMR DP-777) so sold it a few years ago. So I want a TT that will compete with any sub-10000$ DAC.

Looking forward to your thoughts that will help me scratch my analog itch.


essrand
@atmasphere ………………………………..

In your opinion, what mat would you use on the Technics SL1200G?
Not sure if Ralph ever tried rare SAEC SS-300 alloy mat, but in my opinion this is amazing mat for Technics turntables of all kind from the SP-20 to the SP-10 mkII and SL1200 series 
Do you think the alloy mat will take away the benefit of having the brass in the SL1200 G platter?
"We have a demo 294/ with the matching 12 inch arm,if you are interested the package sounds incredible we just want to play with a different table."

Shameless plug



I obviously must vote for the Nottingham!
Own a Spacedeck cw with Spacearm, many say the arm is the weakest link but I have had no reason to change it yet, maybe some time in the future.
Very sturdy troublefree deck. Big plus was adding a Walker motor controller.
Also I run everything through an Equicore 1800 power conditioner so likely got as good a power feed to the motor as I am ever going to get.
Presently running a ZYX RS50 mc cart. Have not experimented with any vintage mm carts on here, I do that on my Denon DD deck.
Considered upgrading from the Nottingham a few months ago and then sanity returned! It's here to stay.