oscroft
Prominent Member
Well, not really new, I'm just catching up with the 1980s, but please humour an old man...
I've had a Rega Planar 3 since 1979, and after giving it a service (replace failed capacitor, new drive and motor support belts, bearing relube, new feet) it's running great. It had the old R200 s-shaped arm, which Rega replaced with the RB300 in the early 80s, and for years I've wondered if it's really any better - I've always been sceptical about constant tweaking and refinement of arms.
With that in mind, and thinking it would be handy to have some spares stashed away for the future, I bought a spare parts Planar 3 on eBay. It's newer than mine, and came with an RB300 arm. I think the arm is a fairly early one, as it has the original tungsten counterweight.
Yesterday I transplanted the arm, though I need a shim as the stylus clearance is tiny and the VTA looks a bit off. I have that ordered, but it's good enough to play as it is for now. I transfered my original cartridge, an Ortofon Super OM 10, to the new arm. (There was a Goldring Elan on the new RB300 which I gave a run on the old R200, and it seems fine but doesn't grab me.)
And, I'm staggered by the difference I'm hearing. It's hard to describe (you know the way it is), but there's a new level of detail and clarity. I can hear individual notes more individually, with a very noticeable increase in separation between instruments. As one example, listening to some harp music, I can hear the individual strings and the resonance of the soundbox more distinctly.
I hoped there'd be an improvement, but I really wasn't expecting it to be so big. Anyway, I just needed to tell someone how happy (and surprised) I am with the improvement
I've had a Rega Planar 3 since 1979, and after giving it a service (replace failed capacitor, new drive and motor support belts, bearing relube, new feet) it's running great. It had the old R200 s-shaped arm, which Rega replaced with the RB300 in the early 80s, and for years I've wondered if it's really any better - I've always been sceptical about constant tweaking and refinement of arms.
With that in mind, and thinking it would be handy to have some spares stashed away for the future, I bought a spare parts Planar 3 on eBay. It's newer than mine, and came with an RB300 arm. I think the arm is a fairly early one, as it has the original tungsten counterweight.
Yesterday I transplanted the arm, though I need a shim as the stylus clearance is tiny and the VTA looks a bit off. I have that ordered, but it's good enough to play as it is for now. I transfered my original cartridge, an Ortofon Super OM 10, to the new arm. (There was a Goldring Elan on the new RB300 which I gave a run on the old R200, and it seems fine but doesn't grab me.)
And, I'm staggered by the difference I'm hearing. It's hard to describe (you know the way it is), but there's a new level of detail and clarity. I can hear individual notes more individually, with a very noticeable increase in separation between instruments. As one example, listening to some harp music, I can hear the individual strings and the resonance of the soundbox more distinctly.
I hoped there'd be an improvement, but I really wasn't expecting it to be so big. Anyway, I just needed to tell someone how happy (and surprised) I am with the improvement