Rega P2 upgrades that won't break the bank??

B

BruenoB

Well-Known Member
I traded for a Rega P2 with the RB251 tonearm and MDF platter and was considering some upgrades but damn they seem to be expensive!! Not wanting to spend the value of the turntable itself in upgrades!!

Are there any upgrades worth doing that wouldn't run me more then say $100-125??

Not talking about cartridges or stylus. I'm meaning upgrades for the actual turntable / tonearm.

I've read about the white silicone belt. Is this a good idea?
 
Lots of upgrades on this website. I've personally never tried any but there are things from $5 (bearing and oil) to several hundred dollars.

http://lpturntables.blogspot.com/2011/09/list-of-upgrade-accessories.html

I got a subplatter, brass pulley, new bearing, silicone belt and oil for less than $150 shipped in one of Tango Spinners packages. I love what it did for the timing and bass. Gus was great to work with and I would highly recommend looking into them as well. I had a perfect experience.

http://tangospinner.com/web/home

I've also upgraded the tonearm weight but that was quite a bit more. I have considered several items on the first site, the braces and feet look very interesting. I just haven't pulled the trigger.

For reference, the upgrades are for a Planer 3.
 
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I've been talking to Michael. He seems very knowledgeable.

Think I'll get the counterweight for sure. Alot of good feedback on it.

Not sure whether to get his pulley and belts or go for the Tangospinner like you did.

I have the MDF platter and am not sure I want the glass or acrylic.
 
Platter upgrades are usually pricy. I have a glass platter but there is a delrin platter I've been thinking about. Its,around $200 I think. I know the tango spinner package was very affordable so that's why I went with it. Really the only reason I went that way. Plus I thought it looked pretty cool. :) They also make a subplatter specifically for the MDF platter

At some point, I will get the adjustable feet. The small 45 adapter/record weight and the braces from Michael.
 
Yeah. At $250, I won't be buy one anytime soon. I have a Isokinetik subplatter on the way here. A deal I couldn't pass up. Not sure if it will be a difference worth nothing or not. I'll post if I think one is better than the other.

Good luck. I've been enjoying my Rega a lot. Lots of noticeable and worthwhile improvements to be had.
 
Well, the counterweight from Michael Lim and the Tangospinner kit for the mdf platter would run $225 + shipping.

Its more than I wanted to spend but Michael said biggest improvements are with counterweight and pulley / belts.

One thing I do like with the Rega tables is the ability to upgrade over time vs. Having to have $1,000+ in one shot to dump on a high end table.
 
BruenoB said:
Well, the counterweight from Michael Lim and the Tangospinner kit for the mdf platter would run $225 + shipping.

Its more than I wanted to spend but Michael said biggest improvements are with counterweight and pulley / belts.

One thing I do like with the Rega tables is the ability to upgrade over time vs. Having to have $1,000+ in one shot to dump on a high end table.
Click to expand...

I agree that the counter weight, belts and pulley can make big changes in the sound. I would add the subplatter as well. For me, it was a huge improvement in solidity of bass, clarity and timing.

First, what I wanted to do was get my TT spinning as accurately as I could (without a motor change). To do that I felt the bearing change, subplatter and metal pulley were all important to get changed to something that would have, hopefully, better tolerances than the original.

Next, I wanted to help the balance of the arm and to do that is a under hung counter weight.

I've done the first two and now I want to get the bracing next then the adjustable feet. I don't know that I want to replace the plinth, but I have considered it. The platter, I believe would be a worthwhile upgrade, but I want the delrin and not the acrylic. My last TT had a delrin platter and I think it did a lot of things right.

That's why I love the fact that you can upgrade different parts of your table over time. Like you, a $1,000+ is not easy to get together in one shot.
 
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I think Michaels stuff is fantastic. I used his subplatter, platter, and motor isolation base. I think the isolation base was the best investment. Getting the motor and its vibrations separated from the table was huge.
 
If you haven't spent the money yet, I would be looking to the used market.

You can find various counter weight upgrades for the arm used, there are several manufacturers, all with a different take on how to improve the arm. But the nuts and bolts of their approaches are more similar than different.

Also, from time to time you can find the upgrade parts for the sub platter and platter. When a person moves on from a modded Rega they often put the OEM parts back on and sell the upgrades. So if you are vigilant and a bit lucky you can get those parts for a decent discount since they are used.

If I wanted to upgrade a Rega on the cheap, this is one way to do it. But you have to forgo instant gratification and be Johnny on the spot when they pop up.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Mister Pig said:
I



Also, from time to time you can find the upgrade parts for the sub platter and platter. When a person moves on from a modded Rega they often put the OEM parts back on and sell the upgrades.

Regards
Mister Pig
Click to expand...

Good luck with that. Twice I sold a Groovetracer Platter and subplatter. I asked 80% of the new price and each time they sold within 5 minutes of putting the ad on Canam.
Each time before I bought new from Groovetracer I searched used and could never find it.
This last time I just bought the most expensive table I could ever afford that had good parts on it that didn't need upgrading. Guess everyone can't do that but I was spending almost the same amount with cheaper table and all the upgrades then just to move up to a better table.
 
guitarman50 said:
Good luck with that. Twice I sold a Groovetracer Platter and subplatter. I asked 80% of the new price and each time they sold within 5 minutes of putting the ad on Canam.
Each time before I bought new from Groovetracer I searched used and could never find it.
This last time I just bought the most expensive table I could ever afford that had good parts on it that didn't need upgrading. Guess everyone can't do that but I was spending almost the same amount with cheaper table and all the upgrades then just to move up to a better table.
Click to expand...

As I said a bit of luck and Johnny on the spot.

Personally I agree with buying a better table versus the upgrade parts, but not everyone is in the position to do so. So it is good to have alternate paths. The other option is to sell the Planar 2 stock and buy another used Rega with the after market parts in place. That is a solution that is viable also.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
A ceramic main bearing and new end stub / counterweight are relatively cheap upgrades. Put a 'bot in place on eBay to watch for glass platters. That will get you to slightly above stock Planar 3 / P3 (since the RB251 with upgraded end stub sounds better than RB300/301). After that, you start getting into some real money where a new turntable makes more sense.

-D
 
One thing I found about Rega tables that I didnt care for was the need to upgrade it right out of the box to have a decent table. This is only my opinion but I think that their plastic subplatters and mdf platters are crap. Bearing upgrade would also be something that you would have to put on the list as well.

Thats a couple hundred over whatever the cost of the table is. I mean I know its about getting the best you can out of your table. Though considering that if bought new a Rega starts around 600 and already needs about 400 dollars more to make it sound good. Thats a tough pill for me to swallow.
 
BruenoB said:
I've been talking to Michael. He seems very knowledgeable.

Think I'll get the counterweight for sure. Alot of good feedback on it.

Not sure whether to get his pulley and belts or go for the Tangospinner like you did.

I have the MDF platter and am not sure I want the glass or acrylic.
Click to expand...
The platter is actually not mdd, but hdd which is then metallised.

Haven't had a Rega for a while, but the two worthwhile upgrades are the metal subplatter, and the acrylic platter. I wouldn't worry about the counterweight, the arm you have sits comfortably on decks costing 10 times as much as the Rega, the main issue is the subplatter. The best upgrade you've ruled out, which is the cartridge - you can put expensive MCs on the 251 and get full benefit, it is that good.

The P2 is a budget turntable when all is said and done, so I wouldn't spend a lot on it, but enjoy it for what it is, probably the pick of the turntables in its price range when it came out.
 
There is a golden rule that no one has mentioned. Never upgrade unless you really have to ...ie if you are going to be using an extra heavy cartridge you would probably have to upgrade the counterweight etc but beyond that you really should not upgrade...The P2 is a very fine deck and really does not need any "improvement". You can pick up some very nice vintage speakers on Ebay for as little as £50 which can be a huge advancement is sound quality.......don't believe all the claims people make about this or that....after fifty years I'm still waiting for someone to take me up on my offers to do some blind tests.....but they never do.......they never do. In fact I've never ever heard of anyone taking part in a blind test......
 
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