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Rega RP1 Motor Noise

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ergalthema

Active Member
Just got a brand new Rega RP1. I've heard good things about it for years and finally got the money to purchase one. There is a repeating, regular fluctuation to the sound. I kind of expected a smooth sound. Here is that video: https://vid.me/Zy0U . I can hear it in the room when the dust cover is closed.

If you notice, the hub is not parallel. I contacted Rega US distributer and they are supposed to ship a new part to me. This is my first decent turntable, and I was a bit disappointed that the platter is wobbly.

Regarding the motor noise, the Rega representative told me that there is a break in period. He said I should run the table for 48 hours straight. I'm assuming he thinks the motor noise will go away. Does anyone have experience with this?
 
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I've never heard a Rega RP-1 with motor noise like that. Sound like it's bad to me. Run it for 48 hrs. If it still sounds bad. Tell the Rega representative and ask for a new one. It should be dead silent.
 
I am having the same problem. I had to return my first RP1 due to a different problem (motor sometimes spinning backwards). My second RP1 worked fine for a few months, and now this motor noise. I doubt the problem will solve itself, but who knows. It seems odd that a product with such a simple design has so many problems.
 
BGME said:
I am having the same problem. I had to return my first RP1 due to a different problem (motor sometimes spinning backwards). My second RP1 worked fine for a few months, and now this motor noise. I doubt the problem will solve itself, but who knows. It seems odd that a product with such a simple design has so many problems.
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What is the warranty. If 1 year you likely still can send it for a fix.
 
Not acceptable. A turntable should be a precision intrument. It seems like many of todays turntable makers have forgoten about that.
 
Vinylcalle said:
Not acceptable. A turntable should be a precision intrument. It seems like many of todays turntable makers have forgoten about that.
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You can buy good new TT today. But it will cost you well over $1000. Everything below is cheap junk for those who has no idea what quality vinyl playback system is about.
 
rega noise

I know that tune.i'm on my 3rd rp1.The first had a hum.Took that one back, upgraded to the P.Pack model.Got it home, and heard a flapping motor noise.I was pissed, phoned the dealer.I could hear that he was miffed also.Anyways, I decided to keep it and after a few days it went away.But,3 months later, after 10-15 minutes of playing, it sounded distorted!Only after it warmed up it did it again.I'm thinking it was a short in the cart.Anyways, took it back,3rd time.So far, so good.Great arm, cheap cables, toy motor, cheap mdf plinth, and what can you say about the feet?When properly set up , it sounds pretty darn good.My advice?Chuck those clown feet.Buy a kid's bike innertube-a12"works, inflate to 3.75 pounds,and place it underneath.It will be offset to fit as the motor is offset.Shim to level with straws, and voila!
 
I forgot to mention, that the 3 rega decks, every platter had a little wobble.I read somewhere when in process of manufacture the platter is true, its after cooling, they go out of round.Rega, lower your pricing, or please improve your products!
 
Well im sorta pissed off on your behalf. Regas previous P1 was shockingly built. My impression was perhaps the RP1 was a bit better but it looks like not much has changed.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk 2
 
I have had a new RP-1 for several weeks now, no motor noise, no feedback issues, though I can see how running it with the dustcover down could bring up some resonance issues. On start up it made a funny screeching noise, which the dealer said would go away on break in...two days and maybe six hours play and it is gone.

Pretty "Spartan" piece of equipment, though the tonearm assembly is nicer than my 1981-vintage Hitachi; at first I did not like the painted wood base, but now I have gotten into it. Very stable on its three feet.
 
Threads like these are why I seek out those hard to find repairmen, and keep my Sony PS-X60 and Technics SL-1400mk2 as fit as possible.

Rega, there's simply no excuse for this.
 
Looks like I never updated this post. Ultimately, Rega shipped me a syringe of oil. As soon as I dropped a little on the motor, the noise stopped.

Now, I'm still going to return the TT. There are other issues like wow, sticky tonearm lift, ground hum, etc. that I might have dealt with had it not had the platter and motor issues. Just adds up to more that I expected for what I consider a lot of money.
 
for_p1 said:
No it is not much money for vinyl rig. Do you expect to buy working swiss chronometer for $2-300? - rather unlikely! The same is with turntables.
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If you go vintage, it is not a small sum. A tiresome approach I know, but that's just the current situation in turntable. With other stuff like speakers, amps and CDPs I do not hesitate to recommend new.

The demand is low, which is why the pricing for the new tables is high, and that's fair enough. But the build quality of some of the new modern tables is just shocking. We're not asking for something that would last more than 2 years, but we're entitled to expect something that would have the basics done right from the beginning for the money.

Having said that, again, I do understand how it is not easy for them to come up with a decent table at the price if you've manufactured it in the UK. I've said elsewhere that perhaps Rega should outsource at least their entry lines to elsewhere in the world, like B&W and many other companies do with their entry lines.

A Swiss chronometer might be pricey which is fair enough. But for functional purposes a quartz watch watch from China does the job just fine. Well maybe a quartz does its job better than a Swiss Chronometer. And that's exactly what's asked here, not a chronometer.
 
davidro said:
If you go vintage, it is not a small sum. A tiresome approach I know, but that's just the current situation in turntable. With other stuff like speakers, amps and CDPs I do not hesitate to recommend new.

The demand is low, which is why the pricing for the new tables is high, and that's fair enough. But the build quality of some of the new modern tables is just shocking. We're not asking for something that would last more than 2 years, but we're entitled to expect something that would have the basics done right from the beginning for the money.

Having said that, again, I do understand how it is not easy for them to come up with a decent table at the price if you've manufactured it in the UK. I've said elsewhere that perhaps Rega should outsource at least their entry lines to elsewhere in the world, like B&W and many other companies do with their entry lines.

A Swiss chronometer might be pricey which is fair enough. But for functional purposes a quartz watch watch from China does the job just fine. Well maybe a quartz does its job better than a Swiss Chronometer. And that's exactly what's asked here, not a chronometer.
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Quartz digital watch is an equivalent of CD player. And there is nothing wrong in abandoning analog altogether untill more funds are available.

There are Japanese quartz mechanical watches ($800-1200) - their equivalent in TT world will be tables in $1000-1500 price range.

All new TTs below $1000 today are a poor joke.

By the way Japan made automatic chronometers are as expensive as their Swiss counterparts. Just look at Grand Seiko line.
 
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I must say you make a poor argument there. A $20 quartz watch works just fine.

You can say it makes a CDP equivalent. But I easily say it can be a direct drive equivalent, too. That just about shows your clock mechanism comparison is not really appropriate.

Silly focusing on that aspect of your argument.
 
davidro said:
I must say you make a poor argument there. A $20 quartz watch works just fine.

You can say it makes a CDP equivalent. But I easily say it can be a direct drive equivalent, too. That just about shows your clock mechanism comparison is not really appropriate.

Silly focusing on that aspect of your argument.
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Yes either digital quartz watch or CDP do their main function just fine.

Direct drive TT is more like quartz driver mechanical watches. They work decent and add some or finesse (though not necessary functionally better than all digital devices).

Finally we have me mechanical chronometers and high-end belt/rim driven turntables. They are technical marvels, but do not do their main job better (sound reproduction and time keeping) than devices mentioned above.

Now we have cheap TTs and cheap Chinese made mechanical watches. Both are appropriate as kid's toys, not not fit for serious users.
 
for_p1 said:
Now we have cheap TTs and cheap Chinese made mechanical watches. Both are appropriate as kid's toys, not not fit for serious users.
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Don't know why you're so hung up on this comparison, but let's be fair to the Chinese. We're not just talking about 'cheap TTs' but also 'cheap English made TTs'. I mean Rega seems so proud of that aspect so be it...
 
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