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Substantial Upgrade

Longtime lurker, first-time poster:  My wife and I got into vinyl about five years ago and have been steadily collecting records ever since.  We love spinning records, and listen to a lot of jazz, pop, and classical music.  We started modestly with an AT LP120, and are lucky to have a friend who just happened to have a pair of Totem Rainmakers sitting in his garage collecting dust, which he gave to us, along with a TSC sub and all cables.  We have decided it is time to invest in our own system.

I've done a lot of research and read numerous threads on this topic here and elsewhere, and we've narrowed our choices down to two tables: the Rega P6 (in the $1500 price range) or the Feickert Volare (in the $3500 bracket).  Either table I'll be getting the Hana ML.  For phonostage, we've narrowed down to the MoFi UltraPhono or the Sutherland KC Vibe mk ii.  I'm hoping I can solicit opinions here on these choices and, in particular, whether the Feickert is going to make a difference for our use case.  Finally, I recognize that the speakers might be outclassed by these upgrades, but we are separately planning to move in the next year and I want to wait and see where our new listening room is going to be before investing in new speakers.    

Thanks in advance. 
bruinuclafan
kennyc
1,574 posts
 
@bruinuclafan
Since you mentioned MoFi UltraPhono I’m assuming that you’re not against Mofi import duties/tariffs/tax.

$2K Mofi Ultradeck - great reviews, newer design by established highly regarded manufacturers. I am building a high-end bucket-list audiophile system from scratch and am interested in best bang for buck without sacrificing sonic performance so this was on my short list (but I gave in to a much higher $$ VPI mass loaded used turntable- upgradeitus?). Optionally bundled with the positive reviewed MasterTracker cartridge to save you $.

Somebody’s review on https://www.stereo.net " MoFi UltraDeck ,Clear audio concept , Rega Planar 6 which to choose?"
"I recently auditioned the UltraDeck against the P6.
To me the UltraDeck was a fair leap ahead.
Firstly in plinth isolation from whatever you sit it on. Also it seemed to retrieve a lot more from the groove than the Rega. In particular the lower registers. "
co93
61 posts
 
Stick with the rega.  It’s a forgiving table that gets the job done.  Plus you should expect your local dealer to set it up so it’s plug and play to you 
bruinuclafan OP
17 posts
 
@sandthemall  - gotcha.  My mistake.  I've been seeing that stellar phono pop up in discussions everywhere and assumed that's what you meant.

@kahlenz - glad to hear you think the  KC Vibe is awesome!  

@kennyc - I seriously considered the UltraDeck, but my local dealer said hey have had some issues with it and thought the Rega was a better fit in that price range for me. And just to be clear on the whole import/tariff thing, I have no problem paying that stuff (and since I'm in the U.S. both the Rega and Volare will be imports) I was just using that as one variable that I felt makes discussing purchases using budget as an absolute guide less than ideal.  

@co93 - Thanks for the suggestion.  Do you have personal experience with the P6?  And what do you mean by forgivable?
co93
61 posts
 
I’ve got a P6 rega for my son (and a pro-ject for my daughter)   My tables are $10k and $20k with carts.  More often, the higher priced tables need more precise set up and tweaking.   Rega is a good, solid table.  I like the aesthetics of the higher priced Feickert and love his protracter.   But he is a small batch producer.  And you pay a premium for that.  Rega is pretty large, and normally that means a better value with a larger support system.   You can get them serviced anywhere....
But the worse thing you can do is overthink it....
bruinuclafan OP
17 posts
 
@co93 - Thanks for the quick response!  Yes, that makes a lot of sense.  I'm 95% sure I'm getting the Rega P6 at this point.  A lot of really great recommendations in this thread but I ultimately think the Rega is going to be best for my use case.  The other 5% of me is thinking about a step up to a P8, but I will not likely do that for several reasons, including that I have a toddler and am pretty sure I need a dust cover that fully closes for the safety of the table.  

I'm still not quite sure what to do on phonostage.  The KC Vibe mk ii is still the top contender, as I've not seen a single bad comment about Sutherland from anyone, and in the $1000 category I'm not sure whether it is worth overthinking this.  But I am intrigued by a tube phono pre since it seems like almost all of you prefer that route.  Maybe that will be for another day though.
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