The NEW P3 RS Turntable!

In which I investigate whether the Rega P3 RS is akin to a 1980s Fiesta XR2 with fluffy dice! And I discuss whether, if finances were not the sole motivation, there might be more sonically rewarding ways to upgrade a stock Rega P3 Turntable!

[@glennwassermann6972]

My wife and I love you and your vids. Greetings from NY.

[@MarkPMus]

@@glennwassermann6972 Thanks very much Glenn. Sending love to NY!

[@sam66hazmal]

Great video. It’s good to see Rega producing a package which includes upgrades from the standard P3 & trying to be sensible with their pricing. For many this may be all the turntable they will ever need. I agree that adding a separate phono pre amp when funds allow would be a good option to consider. Best wishes for the New Year.

[@tronotized1]

Great video!

[@rich.e]

There were a number of 'RS' Ford cars, the 80's wideboy wagon of choice being the Escort RS Turbo... The P3RS definitely offers a decent saving over buying the component parts separately, like 20% or so. Looks great too. Good info on the Goldring cartridge dimensions, thanks for that.

[@MarkPMus]

I’m picking me bird up in an Escort RS laters. We’re meeting Sandra and Tray down the Tartan ‘Ouse!

[@markcarrington8565]

The cartridge supplied with the RS is the ND5.

[@MarkPMus]

@@markcarrington8565 Yes it is, but the stock P3 comes with the nd3. I was pointing out that if you’re upgrading the basic P3 you don’t have to stick to Rega. Unless I made a slip of the tongue somewhere?

[@markcarrington8565]

My mistake 👍

[@len9518]

Belt drive...must be something new.

[@MarkPMus]

@@len9518 Tried and tested, implemented perfectly.

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

I enjoy your channel and I hate to criticise. How can you possibly comment on a product that you have not listened to? Too many assumptions and preconceptions in this video. Why don’t you simply go to your dealer first and take the time to have a listen then post a video? You would then get more respect from the KZbin community. Your comment regarding getting a mono cartridge is a good one. I collect 1960’s vinyl as I have got involved with a local hospital radio station Trust AM who have a 1960’s show on a Wednesday between 1 and 3 . I do a quiz and provide a lot of records. It is on the internet so you can listen on google easily. I have invested in a Rega Eco grade deck for this with an Audio Technica VM610mono cartridge which only costs £330 in total. I was lucky in getting one of the first gloss red examples which has a P3 plinth and bearing so was an absolute bargain. I then added a Rega 12mm glass platter off eBay. This works much better than using a regular stereo cartridge and using the mono button on your amp. No crosstalk and lower surface noise.

[@MarkPMus]

@@tonyjedioftheforest1364 I’ve owned previous iterations of the P3, and over the 25 odd years I’ve been a hifi enthusiast I’m au fait enough with the Rega sound, and what to expect with various upgrades, that I feel qualified to make judgements. There are plenty of videos on the channel where I talk about products I’ve demoed and review those I own in my system. I can discuss the pros of adding a better phono stage to a TT cos I’ve done it myself on a few occasions. What I wouldn’t do is comment about another manufacturer without ever having heard them. I take on board the necessity of hearing a product before purchasing and hope I’ve impressed this onto various viewers of my videos over the years. I first bought a Rega product (the Luna amp) in 1998, and was so smitten that I’ve owned pretty much all-Rega hifi ever since, with the exception of my PMC Twenty5.23 speakers I currently use. (Although I’ve owned a couple of Rega Floorstanders too in my time!) So what I say comes out of lived experience!

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

@ you have valid points but I stand by mine without actually hearing the P3 RS or the ND5 itself then you can’t possibly guess how it would sound. I had an original Planer 3 in the late 70’s and know how much better the more modern ones are by listening to them. I personally love the Rega sound and will be investing in their more modern models sometime in the near future. Probably the Athos amp along with a pair of Aya speakers. I have a decent Cyrus CD player that is now getting on a bit so when Rega re release the Apollo then that will also be on my shopping list. As for turntables I already have a modern Linn Sondek as my main source along with the Rega green grade already mentioned for my old mono records but I also have a Linn Basik with Ittok and K9 cartridge with a selection of Audio Technica VM95 stylus that is used for background music or to play secondhand records that I would not want to damage my main one. I watched this video as I am toying with the idea of getting what would be a lazy deck. As my other turntables are wall mounted I obviously have to get up and down to change records but I suffer from chronic arthritis and sometimes this is difficult so I just make do with streaming music from my iPhone by Bluetooth. If I could set up a turntable next to my chair then I could enjoy my records easily. The RS would be perfect for that. Another solution would be to get a P8 to replace the Basik on the wall mount then I could use the Basik next to the chair. All things to consider over the next couple of months before I book in an audition at my dealership before I take the plunge.

[@r423fplip]

Just buy a technics turntable.