Turntable Dilemma - Keep the Yammy or Upgrade (?) to Rega?

MrBuhl

Having a bit of a lengthy debate with myself, I run two turntables in my setup.

My main deck right now is a Dual 1229 which was completely redone by Bill at FixMyDual.com last year and is pretty flawless. I enjoy being spoiled by the automatic, and it sounds good, especially considering it's age and price point. No, I do not use the stacker obviously.

Table #2 is a Yamaha YP-D6 DD unit, which is actually a pretty nice deck as well... but. The damping on the cue is gone. As a semi-auto (stop and return only) i have to pay very close attention to the end of the LP or it will just rip its way right across the vinyl and off onto the plinth... Don't ask me how I know (sorry Eric Clapton and former VMS20II needle). Lately, the speeds are also becoming inconsistent and will change mid-play so its in need of some work.

That's - the dilemma: I have a line on a used Rega Planar 3 - and I'm tempted to "upgrade" to the Rega from the Yammy using repair money for the D6 (and then some), and then move the D6 on CL in order to recoup some funds. The Rega already has the upgraded motor, and the 300 tonearm with acryllic platter making it a pretty solid deal, but no cartridge included.

Whatcha think folks? Should I stick with the Yamaha and get it fixed or is the Rega truly a lot better deck?

mhardy6647

Well (FWIW). I never liked the Duals; just too complicated and clunky for my taste --German precision engineering notwithstanding, I always thought they were sort of unsophisticated.

The Yamaha YP-D6 is a model with which I am none too familiar; most if not all Yamaha tts were made by CEC, an OEM that made turntables for many of the 'big names' (Radio Shack and Marantz, e.g.) The D6 is a beautiful tt and should be 'better than average' for its time; they weren't inexpensive when new. The cueing problem can most likely be fixed by recharging the mechanism with silicone oil of appropriate viscosity (a search at AK will turn up details, methinks). I don't know what to tell you about its other problems. In the Technics tts, speed instability is usually due to dirty speed adjustment pots and easily fixed with a schpritz of good contact cleaner... the Yamaha, though... I dunno.

The Rega RP3 is a very different beast. It's a good to very good table and the arm is quite nice (if somewhat massive). Even with the 'upgrade', it won't have the speed stability of the Yamaha, and the s/n likely isn't as good, either -- but you might still like it better, as a listening platform, than the Yamaha. What cartridge are you thinking about using with it?

MrBuhl

Thanks mhardy! That's actually pretty helpful, though I understand your thoughts on the Dual, (it's not very sophisticated in appearance), despite being overly complicated in execution. I run a Shure 97xe on it and it sounds pretty decent, and really, it's the only game in town for me with the Yamaha down.

Yes, the D6 is a solidly built and attractive table. I've really been leaning toward keeping it honestly until the speed challenges. I've also read about using some deoxit on the speed controls and may try that - beats spending on a new table right now. Adding the silicone oil should be relatively easy if I can get to the bits anyway?

For the Rega, I had been looking at a Denon DL110 cartridge to start with, not breaking the bank but a solid starter I think? The Dual is P-Mount so I don't have a lot of experience outside the Ortofon that's on the Yamaha. I guess I could move the Ortofon to the Rega as well if I went that way. Unfortunately I busted the VMS20II that came with it... grrr... but have an NOS Ortofon FF15XE from Thakker on it now that has a nice detailed, if slightly restrained (compared to the Dual) sound.

leftwinger57

Like a Tiger tank they were considered over engineered. Funny you mentioned that you were not going to use the high stacker. A year or so back was a thread about the 10 worst things you could do to abuse a tt. No one came up w/ my 2 great answers. I'm talking back in the day now. # 1 was high spindle stacking and I said if the machine was built to do it then lay back light a J and let the machine do it. Of course the dropping and mushing of 4/5 LPs is not conducive in having clean records not to mention the strain on the motor. #2 and you all did this, the best anti skating device ever made. Scotch taping a penny to the head shell and dance away. I had a Dual 1225 w/ a United Audio beveled base and loved it. The penny thing was done when I had a Zenith suitcase tt w/ speakers that you unhinged and had about 10' of separation.

MrBuhl

^^ This made me LMAO ^^ Leftwinger!! I had a different version of that Zenith and know exactly what you mean - hilarious! Those do have to be two of the worst, and I have to admit, at 12-13 with my college-age sister's record collection at home, I have done both at different times! Heck, maybe the same time!

It's funny, I feel like using the full auto Dual is about as decadent as using a stacker these days, TT decks have gotten so minimalistic!