Rega RP3 or Pro-ject Expression III?

The RP1 had an Ortofon OM5e, and the RP3 had a Rega Elys 2. The Elys 2 can be ordered with the RP3 for $1095, vs. $900 without. I ordered my table with the Elys 2, as it is $300 if purchased separately.
--Alex

Some of the difference was due to the different carts, but a lot of it was due to the RP3 being a better deck. I'm not the biggest fan of Rega's carts, but for the price of it with the deck it's a no-brainer. Others love them though. It's all preference, like everything else in this hobby.

Congrats again on the deck. It's pretty much impossible to go wrong with a Rega IMO. Not trying to get you to upgrade or spend more money before you've even got the deck, but you really should look into the TTPSU down the road. It's a very big difference. I haven't heard the RP series, but the P3 with TTPSU sounded better than the P5 without one, when both had the same cart connected to the same system. The P3/TTPSU combo sounded a decent bet better IMO. The P5 with TTPSU sounded far better, but it was also about twice the price.

Just some observations. I'm sure you'll be blown away by the bare RP3 and think I'm crazy. I spent way too much time hanging out at a great Rega/Naim/Linn dealer where I used to live. The owners used to let me hang out and listen to music with them. Had I had more money, I'd have bought everything in sight.

Hi Rischa .... Congratulations on your new analog rig. You're going to love the sound of music through an all Rega front end. Your new RP3/Elys 2 is going to make you very happy for quite a while. Check out my analog set-up on my system link. I have been thrilled with my Rega stuff.... beautiful music. Happy Listening.

Adam18, great set up!

RP3 came today. Just got it running for the first time about 15 minutes ago. Listening to Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert. All I can say is, what's a CD again?

Glad you're enjoying it. There's nothing like some good and clean vinyl to truly appreciate music.

Just realized you said you'll be listening to garage sale vinyl. What are you using to clean your vinyl?

If you don't have one, a vacuum machine will be a huge upgrade. The KAB EV-1 is about $170. It's a Nitty Gritty minus the vacuum; simply connect your own and you're good to go. Add a $25 or so hand held stream cleaner, and your vinyl will sound about as flawless as it gets.

I tried a ton of different things before I broke down and bought the EV-1. In hindsight, everything else was a waste of time.