Quote Originally Posted by 02audionoob
RGA,

I can certainly understand your viewpoint. In fact, I appreciate having learned about Audio Note here in this forum. My remarks on the issue were actually a little out of line, but sometimes I post first, think later.
No problem and you're not really out of line - I get this comment a lot on several forums. So I try to explain my point of view and experience. This company I think most would admit is fairly unique in the sense that the product line is pretty vast.

Normally when people recommend things on forums they have several different companies at different price ranges to go to. For example, the argument has often been a jack of all trades the master of none and in most cases it's true - some companies are far far better at making amplifiers than they are making cd players. And most of those makers don't make speakers. So the average poster will be seen on forums recommending a bigger variety of gear - maybe NAD amps and Arcam CD players Rega turntables and B&W speakers with Kimber cables - then at the next price level they may recommend a Clearaudio turntable, with a YBA integrated amp, an Ayre CD player, and Shunyata cables and power conditioner with Quad speakers.

In a sense, Audio Note is an umbrella company that houses other brand names under their own label - which makes me sound incredibly redundant but when you look at it closely what am I really recommending. The loudspeakers were all designed by Snell, the turntables are SystemDek or Voyd Reference, the cabling is pretty much Kondo, the tone arms are from Rega or Helius, the cartridges are Goldring, and even the DAC's - they were designed largely by Sonic Frontiers top engineer Michael Kerster. What's left? Amps - even then many were designed by Guy Adams of Voyd (My OTO for example) or Kondo-San. So in fact they're not a jack of all trades company - they're more of a "let's buy out the speaker expert's stuff, and the turntable expert's stuff and re-badge it under our own name. Granted they improved all the stuff they bought out but it's less work to do that than start from scratch. IMO that's probably better than trying to design everything from the ground up because very few do that well.

I do however greatly believe in system synergy and it's not a bad idea to have stuff that was designed with the rest of the chain in mind. The individual audiophile can create a terrific mix and match system - but it's no guarantee of synergy - I think AN takes a lot of the work out of it for people - as does Rega, Linn, Quad, Krell etc as companies who make whole chains. Other "known" matches exist for example Audio Research uses Wilson Loudspeakers so one knows that the maker believes in the other maker. PMC and Bryston is another known match.

I do not say you should "buy" these matches - but I do think it is very very important to listen to such systems so you know where the designer's belief system lies and it provides a good platform or reference point.

Back to the OP.

Personally I like the Pro-Ject Debut over the budget Rega P2 models. The Pro-Ject Debut for less money sounded better than my NAD 533 which is a Rega P2. Some of them come with their own phono stage to boot.

I would not really look into upgrading it - just get one and keep it for a few years to tide you over until you can get serious about it. I would try and get the nicest cartridge you can and that the arm will allow.

Try to plan your attack. For instance if it were me I would go out and think a couple of years down the line on the premise that you will want a truly high end turntable. Under this premise - I would say right all I can afford is a Rega-P3 - This is a very nice reputable turntable with about the best re-sale you are likely going to get.

A P3 is not too expensive and it uses a very popular tone-arm that likes a lot of cartridges. And hey down the line it would make a killer second system.

If it were me and I decided my next turntable was going to be a TT2 (or enter your choice here) - I would then upgrade to the IQ1 cartridge in a year (knowing that the cart will fit both the current Rega P9 arm as well as the TT2 arm) - or whenever the first cart's stylus runs out. That old cart can be stored away and the IQ1 can be fitted to the eventual TT1 or TT2 purchase. The Rega 250 tonearm is used in the TT1 and TT2 so the arm applieas here as well. The actual tone arm can be removed from a P2 or P3 and moved over to the AN or Sytemdek decks.

The above is an example - you may really want a Gyro-Deck down the line - so you would do the same thing - choose an entry level table that houses the same arm and "known" effective cart.

Bottom line is to try and save yourself as much money as you possibly can with smart effective upgrades so you don't take a bath on every upgrade.

This was the advice I got from a Rega/Audio Note dealer with regards to the P3 http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?...Rega+DRCope&r=

Anyway - I have to go back to listening to some tunes - good luck.