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Should I keep the Turntable or sell it?

I’ve been back and forth on this decision for about a month, and the more I learn, the harder this decision gets.

Backstory: I won the brand new Cambridge Audio Alva TT turntable in an online contest in mid-May, and while it sounds great, I decided to list it for sale a couple weeks ago. I’ve always wanted to try out a Rega P6 or P3 with a really nice cart, because I feel like I’m not getting enough out of my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. Prior to winning the Alva TT, I switched the Red Ortofon out for the Blue, and there was a great improvement in sound quality. But after comparing the Pro-Ject to the Alva TT and hearing what a $1700 turntable can sound like, I definitely am interested in exploring more high fidelity turntables. The issue is that I feel like I prefer the sound of tubes over solid state, and the Alva TT uses an integrated Alva Duo phono preamp for the RCA out, and their own DAC for the Bluetooth out if I want to go that route. I don’t have a ton of experience with tubes, and maybe it’s just the “cool factor” I actually like and I’m just having a placebo effect.

So I decided to list it for sale to try and get a Rega, because I heard so many great things about them. But over the last week or so, I’ve learned more about the Alva TT and how it uses Rega’s famous tonearm. I looked up the cart and it is listed at $500 separately, which is probably why it sounds better than the Pro-Ject w/ Ortofon Blue. I’ve also read on these boards about direct drive being better than belt, which the Alva has as well. It also has the added bonus of Bluetooth that go directly to my KEF LS50 Wireless, but I would most likely just use interconnects.

So I would love to get some advice from you all. I’ve gone back and forth about keeping the Alva or selling it, along with my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, and buying/trading for something like a Rega P3 or P6. If you had my first world problem, what would you do?
bignamehere
lewm
12,454 posts
 
Why the fascination with Rega?
i’d say stick with what you have for at least several months before you jump to something else. Also, and this may be unfair criticism, there are some who claim that the low end to mid level Rega tt’s tend to run “fast”. That can make them sound lively, which is good for sales. I hasten to add that I have no personal knowledge of this putative issue. Anyway you’ve got nothing to lose by waiting and listening.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Are you kidding me? " @bignamehere

Technics is the only "REAL direct drive" turntable you can buy and this is the most reasonable priced DD on the market today, just because it is Matsushita, they have been doing it before you was born (probably). Even 40 years old Technics turntables like SP-10mkII are second to none. They don’t make motors for any other companies nowadays. This turntable is "made in japan" if you know what does that mean today, because everything is made in china or taiwan nowadays.

If you don’t want to change anything in your system just use what you have, but then i don’t understand why asking?

Technics brand new coreless DD motor has been introduced not so long ago, this is the best DD motor available today. Read more about new Technics turntables in this thread. In our crazy High-End world the Technics SL1200G is a bargain, the GR is 50% cheaper than G model. Someone should give a lesson to various manufacturers who priced their ugly belt drive at $30k, so Technics will knock down them all at $4k with SL1200G (and you could buy Technics GR for about $1800). All these European companies are simply not on that level, most of the killer Direct Drive TTs coming from Japan since the 70’s. Technics toneams are great, i would not even mentioning Rega tonearms anywhere near the Technics and some other Japanese toneamrs ( i have many).

Wireless speakers is garbage along with usb turntables designed for hispetrs who don’t understand what is analog. These speakers are for streaming audio (aka digital).

If you want to use analog gear and vinyl then you need wires.

Audio-Technica made huge range of cartridges from very cheap to high-end. It’s a good brand, but i have recommended their top of the line vintage models of MM cartridges (they are exceptionally good), here is the article.

stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,250 posts
 
I have the 1200G and LOVE it.  I owned a Rega Planer 3 and found it to be not very well made and the Rega RB300 arm has very little adjustments available. After owning it for 3 years and hardly ever playing records on it, I moved on to VPI.  After owning 3 VPI tables, I purchased the 1200G and I am living happily ever after.  The 1200GR is an excellent table at less than half the price of the 1200G.  You most likely get 90% of the 1200G sound for less than half the price of it. 

I think the 1200GR would keep you happy for many years. 
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 
Your Cambridge looks nice enough that I wouldn't consider the move to a Rega. Move to something truly a level-up (plus a good standalone phono stage) once you're ready. The Technics 1200GR does look really nice. I also think the new SOTA Sapphire/Star (Jelco arm?) and various Clearaudio Concept/Performance models (with Satisfy arm or Tracer arm) are extremely strong offerings. 

And tube phono stages are awesome. Sometimes paired with a SUT as needed for MC cartridges. That's what I've run for the past several years. 
bignamehere OP
56 posts
 
@lewm
I’ve only listened to the P3 once at a dinner party a couple years ago, and I remember really liking it, but it wasn’t in the budget at the time. Maybe it was the wine, but his system sounded very warm. He had Klipsch bookshelf speakers (RP-600 maybe?) on stands, and a solid state phono pre and a nicer amp (no idea models). But I have also been eyeing the Marantz TT-15S1 with the clearaudio virtuoso MM cart, and the Music Hall 7.3 with Ortofon Bronze.

 @chakster 
I appreciate the detailed info on the Technics, although some of your reply was a bit off putting. I know there is a large Technics fanboy club here, so I won’t get into it with you on the turntable. I’ve listened a few times to a high end Technics table at a friend’s father’s house who talked my ear off about it and his Martin Logans. In his opinion, owning anything other than those brands wasn’t good quality. I can’t recall his other components. Luckily we have similar taste in music, but definitely not the same budget. 

No offense, but whenever someone has such a high loyalty for one company and downplays all other brands and even downplays huge advances in technologies to be trivial, I have to take the advice with a big grain of salt. And obviously I’m asking the community to get ideas, so it’s hard to digest someone cramming a single brand down your throat when clearly there are many options to consider. But I greatly appreciate the info, and will read up on Technics.

@stereo5 
Thanks for the details on the P3 as I will take that into consideration.

@mulveling 
the SOTA looks impressive... but way out of my budget for a few years.
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