2. analog
  3. 155428-96975

Rega P10 v Complete rebuild Garrard 401!

I currently have a Rega P3 that I’m generally happy with, but looking to upgrade and I’m in two minds.  Go old school with Garrard 401 or keep with new tech and get a P10.  Both are well regarded and there are plenty of individual reviews.  However I’ve not been able to find a comparative analysis (not really expecting to) so i thought i would ask here.  It would be paired with a Line Magnetic 508ia tub amp and Harbeth HL5 plus speakers.  
I listen to a wide range of music, from classic jazz, funk, soul and classic rock but admittedly i spend the majority of my vinyl time listening to thinks like Bowie, the Smiths, New Order, A Certain Ratio, Chameleons or similar.  
Any counsel?   
gunners01
gunners01 OP
42 posts
 
Buying both is out of my financial reach as i wouldn’t want to take the hit of depreciation for the one i sell.  Regardless i appreciate your input.  I’ve read that the 301 has slightly superior sound to the 401 but both are well regarded. 
It would appear that both the Rega P10 and Garrard 401 would be notable steps up from the P3.  I don’t want to hide the fact that i do prefer a “classic” look of the Garrard vs the modern P10. I just don’t want to sacrifice sound quality.  I also want to be mindful of long-term maintenance, accessibility of parts and cost to repair.  
Again thanks and all help welcome. 
lewm
13,621 posts
 
You'd lose nothing on the Garrard, if you were to decide to sell it.  And probably the same goes for the Rega, if you can find one for the right price.  But these are very different philosophies of how to play a record.  I would expect that one's a priori bias would more than anything else determine the outcome of such a comparison. Which is why you may want to do some more research in advance, by listening to turntables that employ different types of drive mechanism.
shastasheen65's avatar
shastasheen65
20 posts
 
Go strait to the Garrard, it is in another league, and probably in another sport.

Surely has tons of fashination over the Rega.

Mario
tomstruck's avatar
tomstruck
354 posts
 
 Rega makes a very good table I owned one for a few years then I upgraded to Clearaudio Performance DC love this table you should look in Performance DC or if your budget is bigger the Ovation        in my humble opinion I think they are a much better table then both
gunners01 OP
42 posts
 
thanks.   The 401 is a rebuilt being sold by SkyFi for $9k. I’m trying to keep under that amount.   I’ve looked at Thorens as well.  The older vintage or vintage looking are very appealing to me as just like the look but sound quality is of paramount importance.   

Any thoughts on cartridges? Again, erring to more alt-rock, new wave as opposed to classical or jazz?  Seems Ortofon 2m Black would be good, and I’ve been happy with Ortofon’s I’ve had over the years. 
More to discover