Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

Shane, Always willing to take the P3 off your hands.... (To answer Henry's question, a man always needs "one more" turntable.)

Henry, I am loving the ZYX UNI on the above described Mk3. All my LPs sound better than ever. Did you ever audition the UNI II or the latest new version of the UNI? My prior favorable experience with the UNI was with the original version, which led me to be interested in yours. I was not prepared to buy into the idea that newer versions are necessarily better. In particular, the latest one I think has a carbon fiber (or some such) cantilever, which could not possibly have the same sonic flavor as did the original.

Dear @d: IF your Pioneer is a stock P3a then outperforms a stock SP10MK3. One of the " wow " SP10MK3 specs is the ruble figure/S/N that is 92db DIN B where in the P3a is 95db DIN B.

Could be nice to compare both units in refurbished status or even as a stock units.

Pioneer has nothing to envy from >Technics other that not been part of the Matushita gigant Japanese group.

Btw, the EPC 100CMK4 is matched on heaven with the EPA 100MK2.

Have fun.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC not DISTORTIONS,
R.

Hey Lew.   sorry - P3 is staying :-)

Hi Raul - Both P3 and 1000mk3 are stock.  The technics is of interest as you can put a different tonearm onto it. I am planning to try my Thales Simplicity II to try and get a best of old world / new world.

cheers Shane

Glad you like the UNI Lew...
That one was my third after I wore out the first one nine years ago.
At that stage I was a one-turntable/one-cartridge man and wanted to ensure I had continued listening-enjoyment for the years ahead....😎
With iover 40 cartridges now, I can't see me wearing ANY of them out....
I haven't heard the UNI II or Suoreme or whatever they call their latest and greatest....
From the reports I have read...they seem to be even better, but then again....if one is prepared to pay the prices for these....one would expect to hear an improvement 😝

Raul, I think JP already pointed out to you that it is folly to judge any two closely matched turntables in general by factory published specifications, because we don't know how the measurements were made. In particular, we do know that the P3a specs were determined after there was a revision in the methods for measuring S/N that made everything look better (quieter by I think about 3db) than it did before the change in methodology.  

On the other hand, I do agree with you; the P3 or P3a may well be superior to the Mk3, but not based on the differences in factory published specifications.  However, I would posit that the Mk3 offers more possibilities for upgrades that might bridge any gap between it and the P3, because of its more modular construction.  I don't deny that I would like to own a P3, in order to hear it for myself in my system and decide for myself where it stands in the pantheon of high end DD turntables.  I suspect its plinth is not up to modern standards, although everything else about it apparently is.

Of course, this is coming from an uninformed philistine who cannot tell music from distortions.