Anyone own a Pioneer Exclusive P3 ??

Unfortunately, not many people outside of Japan has one of these because they were domestic only, AFAIK. Still, for "only" about $3,500 USD (current going rates), they are much cheaper and easier to obtain than the SP-10MKIII. If I had over $4k to throw around, I'd buy one :)

I wondered why Downunder wanted to use price (i.e., "10K table") as a criterion for expectation of performance. I have lost faith in price as a factor in sound quality of tt's. There are just too many megabuck models with obvious design flaws. Most likely the P3, like the MkIII, will sound great but will not be loved by all devotees of belt- or idler-drive. The limitation of the P3 compared to almost all other top end vintage tt's is that one is pretty much stuck with the stock plinth and tonearm, unless one wants to do a major transplantation of the P3 chassis, which would negate the built-in suspension/isolation. I guess there is a way to add a second tonearm to the existing plinth, but that's about it.

Lewm, the space really isn't there for a second tonearm on-plinth, and if one tried, THAT would require major surgery on the plinth. If one wanted to put one on a pod behind the plinth, that might work, but it would have to be a loooong arm. According to the Pioneer tech who did the overhaul on mine, the existing arm can actually be removed and replaced quite easily without doing anything to the plinth/chassis. The replacement simply needs to be a very similar arm (282mm effective length or so, as long as the base-pivot relationship is similar). I would think the long Audiocrafts (4000, 4400), the Audio-Technica 1501, the Micro Seiki MAX-282 and MA-505L could be made to work, and I bet the long Sony arms (PUA 286, 1600L), and the long Victor and Denon arms would also work. I have not tried it (not sure if I would want to - as a straight arm, it works really well). I cannot, offhand, think of any modern arms with similar length but I am sure someone could find one or two. That said, the arm on it is pretty darned good. I would think it would compete pretty well with the best of the arms mentioned above (which if I had to choose, I would say is likely to be the Max-282, based on my experience with the Max-237).

Lewm

the 10k was only a reference point that I wanted to convey. ie Is the P3 competitive with the top % of tables available these days, not a rega 3.

me, I still luv the look of the P3.

cheers

Thanks, T_bone and Downunder. I have heard good things about the stock tonearm on the Exclusive P3, also (probably from T_bone by private e-mail). Still you must admit that the choice of tonearms is limited and needs to be of similar length to the stock one. Someday I have got to hear a P3 myself in order to make my own judgment. It was significant to me that a P3 owner told me that he favored one of his belt-drive tts (a Micro Seiki, I think) over the P3, altho the P3 was his second favorite of his many turntables. Meantime, I have been happy with my SP10 Mk2A in a slate plinth with RS-A1 tonearm and Ortofon MC7500 cartridge. Downunder, I think there are many $10K tts that are very good and many others that are way over-priced and could not compete with a tweaked Garrard 301/Lenco L75/SP10/etc. But I tend to think the Exclusive P3 (not the Rega P3) is at least competition for ANY $10K tt sold today. If anyone can figure out what I just wrote, let me know.