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Nottingham Spacedeck vs Rega Planar 8 vs Technics SL1200G

Hey Everyone,

An analogue newbie needs your advice.

Firstly I am not looking for any TT recommendations other than these 3.

My system is Devore O96, and the amplification would be either Lyngdorf 3400/Coincident Frankenstein combo or a Shindo pre/amp combo (forthcoming). The phono stage is TBD.

The sound I like is rich, full-bodied, with a good bass (I love percussion, and the double-bass instrument and  Mingus is my fav jazz artist). I am very sensitive to even a hint of brightness. I don't care about the typical audiophile presentation -- gobs of detail and soundstage but no soul.

My music of choice is jazz, vocals and small-scale instrumentals. No rock, no pop, no western classical.

Would love your thoughts on these 3 choices.

Since I am a newbie, easy setup is big win, which might tilt me towards the Rega or Technics, but with Nottingham I have a great dealer support that I would completely miss out on if I went with Technics (no Technics dealer in a 5000 mile radius).

I used to own a Rega RP6, so am familiar with Rega sound, and like it. But my RP6 was bested by my DAC (AMR DP-777) so sold it a few years ago. So I want a TT that will compete with any sub-10000$ DAC.

Looking forward to your thoughts that will help me scratch my analog itch.


essrand
orthomead
145 posts
 
I have owned a spacedeck with spacearm for years and love it.  Another stellar cartridge to consider is the Kiseki line.  I upgraded from the blue to the purple heart and have been thrilled with it.  I also recently upgraded to the heavy platter which also improved my sound.  I purchased all my turntable gear from Larry at Hollywood Sound.  He is a true turntable guru and is clearly one of the leading authorities on Nottingham tables.  He would be a great resource to speak with and he is very enthusiastic about anything analog.  Larry uses the Kiseki purple heart on his rig and won't change to anything else, which tells me a lot.  I can highly recommend this combo
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
@orthomead. 
Do you use the PurpleHeart on the standard Spacearm?
I was thinking my next move might be to upgrade the arm on my Spacedeck rather than a more expensive cart but if it is working well on a 3.5k cart...….
orthomead
145 posts
 
@uberwalz.Yes.  I started with the blue, but learned the hard way what happens when I don't wear my glasses during needle drop and it falls off the side of the lp.  Ouch! So I needed a replacement and moved up to the purple heart at Larry's suggestion.  The tonearm upgrade conversation didn't occur.  Definitely a huge improvement in sound.  Interestingly, a close friend with the same Nottingham/Kiseki blue setup did exactly the same thing I did a month later.  He too upgraded to the purple heart and is ecstatic over the sonic improvement.  The improvement is notable waaay before full break in occurs.  I would suggest calling Larry at Hollywood Sound because he can tell you if you are further ahead with a tonearm or cartridge upgrade.  Either way please let us know what you did and your experience.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
No desire to hijack this thread but just have standard Spacedeck and Spacearm combo with a Walker motor controller. Using ZYX RS50mk2 cart right now and pretty happy.
But always interested in New ideas and ways to better the SQ the first time around.

And I hear you on needle drop, that headshell with no finger loop is annoying! Now I use glasses AND small led flexlight that is mounted on top shelf just for that purpose!
joegator81
108 posts
 
I asked Larry about changing tonearms and tweaking such as platter may and he was firmly against both, if I correctly recall.  He believes in synergy. 

That being said, the Boston audio May was an improvement. 

I dont see the The kiseki on the hwdsound website anymore either. Wonder what he’d recommend as an alternative? 
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