Clearaudio makes very nice equipment all the way around. Although I do not own one of their tables, I have their Double Matrix Pro Sonic cleaning machine and it is very well built and a pleasure to use. Up until this past March I did won a Rega P10 turntable. With it's light weight and interesting design, it was different than any of my other, or previous tables, The tonearm is fantastic. The P10 is probably the easiest turntable you could ever setup. Mine was new and came with an Apheta 3 cartridge which I did not use as I mounted my Transfiguration Proteus D. Very nice sound overall. Alas, it was one of three tables and I preferred my upper end Linn LP12 and my wife would not be happy if I sold the Nottingham she likes, so the P10 was used as trade fodder at TMR.
New Turntable
Hi All,
I’m considering a new turntable for a system based around Classe Delta separates and Focal Utopia speakers. I’ve narrowed my choices down to a few models:
- Luxman P151 MK II Centennial Edition
- Luxman P191A
- Clearaudio Ovation or Innovation
- Rega P10
And looking for any feedback folks have on sound, value, ease of use, etc. I need to decide if I want to try to snag an individual centennial edition from Luxman while I can or get the entire set. I don’t have a ton of turntable experience, so as fuss-free of an experience as possible is desired. When I spoke to dealers they considered these options pretty low-maintenance and I should not be concerned there, though they did mention that Rega is about as set it and forget it as can be. I will need a dust cover and as far as I can tell all of these have that option available.
One thing that concerns me about Clearaudio is the age of the models and the almost 50% increase in price of the product lifetime of the Ovation. If it was still around 8K it would be an obvious front-runner for me.
Please don’t respond with other brands. There is an overwhelming amount of choice out there and I’ve worked pretty hard to get to a short list already. An example I had, but removed was Goldnote Mediterraneo as it would be not regularly demoed and is available special order only.
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- 32 posts total
I owned a brand new Rega P10 but I have no hands on experience with the others. It is a nice piece of engineering, particularly the tonearm, and a very reliable TT. Unfortunately I sold it within 30 days as I found it somewhat bright. Very dynamic and fast but lacking warmth and bass. I ended up with a LP12 which has a better soundstage, better separation and more bass. The P10 would be a great choice for someone looking for a plug and play TT and I would recommend to use their cartridge in that case given limited tonearm adjustment functionality. |
I agree with @ericba - of those, the P10 is by far the most fuss-free. You unpack it and ten minutes later you are up and running, and it's set up RIGHT right away, especially if you get it with a Rega cartridge. (The Apheta 3 is a good recommendation, and the cart comes with a bundle discount if purchased together with the P10). |
I have the Luxman PD 151 MKII with their accompanying cartridge and i am very happy with it. I love the heaviness of the unit and it is built solid. I also like that it has XLR inputs making for a better sounding connection and integrates easily with my pre amp. It also has RCA connections. I also recommend the dust cover. I know a couple Luxman dealers very well if that helps. I also have their phono pre amp. I think it is the E500. Happy to answer additional questions. |
FWIW: Rega is a proponent of low-mass design TTs. If you go with the P10, make absolutely certain you have something rock solid to place it on, with or without isolation platform. For that matter, with your system, any TT should have a rock-solid supporting surface, especially if you like rocking down the house every now & then. |
- 32 posts total