Jim Cornell Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Has anyone heard these units, or does anyone own one? Ive heard these sound more analog, than digital! Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 Ask Mobile Homeless! They are really decent players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Jim, Which Rega model/s are you considering? I have the Rega Planet and I agree with the statement that it sounds more analog than digital. I bought my Rega "used", but with very few hours of use which required me to put in the hours needed to break in the unit. Once breakin was done, and next ditching the stock cables for higher quality interconnects(as rec. in the owners manual), The Planet CD player just got better. Prior to purchasing the Rega, I was using an Ah Tjoeb 99 with all standard upgrades, which is a very nice player, but the Rega eventually won the spot on my component rack after many hours of listening and comparing. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I've got one of these (original Planet), per the advice of Mobile Homeless and Jazman. The reviews are right on target - a very analog (analog=smooth) sounding machine worthy of the majority of my system listening time. I never realized just how different CD players were until I bought this machine (and had good enough gear to hear the difference). I highly recommend it. If you take the plunge and don't agree, you can easily recoup the investment (about $350-$500 used). Those on this forum who tried the Rega still have it. Since you have the Khorns, you WILL hear the difference. My wife did (definitely no audiophile). Even if you have a good CD player, it will not sound anything like a Planet. I would certainly recommend trying one out. Make sure you have space for a top load machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 The Rega is a very musical, analog, smooth sounding player with excellent richness and about as un-digital as they come, especially for the price, which should be in the 400 or so range. It is the closest thing to analog sound under $1000 in my opinion. It needs a VERY long breakin period as it sounds closed in for the first week or so. OF course, getting it used should not be a problem although I had to wait for good sound from my second player, purchased used, for longer than I imagined. Also, as said above, they need good interconnects. This makes a difference here. It is built like a tank and an absolute joy to use making it one of the most ergonomically sound player I have ever used. The remote is a weak point but not too bad. Allows you to turn off the display, something that ALSO makes a difference. I leave my display OFF and the player ON 24 hours a day, something I have always done with CD players (and all solid state equipment without motors). I did a head to head against a fully loaded Tjoeb 99 player and the Planet had more heft and sounded more of a whole. The Tjoeb unit was very nice but the Planet sounded more coherent and smoother, ironically enough. ps- Hey Jim, considering the countless times I have posted to you in the last month on tube amps, you would have thought you would notice ye olde signature at bottom with the words "Rega Planet." Indeed, click on the systems page and go to the alternates page and I talk about it. Lordy Jim, I even read your LONG sig! heh...Where are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I would agree that the Rega is a very good player. You would need to spend quite a bit more money to get better, and it wouldn't be very much better at that. IMHO, there is very much a law of diminishing returns when it comes to digital. More so than most other audio products. I'd get the Rega until you can afford the $29,000 unit you've had your eye on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 All i can say is right on, i will add this to my get list, im ganna unload some of the unused items to my freind in Boulder soon, so when im done ill have a smaller signature! Right now there are 2 older rega planet CD players on e-bay, ones like $300.00! Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 All i can say is right on, i will add this to my get list, im ganna unload some of the unused items to my freind in Boulder soon, so when im done ill have a smaller signature! Right now there are 2 older rega planet CD players on e-bay, ones like $300.00! No mobile i actually didnt see it on your list, i guess it needs to be a foot long LOL! Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Indeed. btw, I can always take your list and make it smaller with 1pt text like mine is. Not too hard.... but youre gonna have to ditch some of the components to only what is in your 2 channel that you really listen to. Hell, if I listed all the components I own, my list would be a page long! lordy.... I just include my reference system, for whatever that is worth. As for the Rega, BE CAREFUL buying off Ebay and used. I would only buy from someone, who after you share mails and/or phone calls, you feel is sharp and takes care of the gear. They have to be packed well too. I would wait for one with the original box, manual, and remote with good history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted October 17, 2002 Author Share Posted October 17, 2002 Will do Mobile, ill get the nice pre amp and this around Feb, maybe ill go new with the CD player! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckears Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 How does the original Planet stack up to the Planet 2000? I have not heard either unit, but would be interested in hearing about differences in the two units. The Tjoeb was at the top of my list until I read some of the comparisons here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good2BHome Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 All the above accolades for the Rega are great. What I would like to know is what in the build / electronics makes it so good? Respectfully, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I like the top of the line Rotel as well. I have not heard the Rotel and Rega side by side; the Rotel sounds a little less musical perhaps(more anlytical?). My fantasy is to hear Mark Levinson or Meridian units. I am not aware of any of their dealers in Michigan to audition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 ---------------- On 10/17/2002 8:28:00 AM mobile homeless wrote: (snip) It needs a VERY long breakin period as it sounds closed in for the first week or so. OF course, getting it used should not be a problem although I had to wait for good sound from my second player, purchased used, for longer than I imagined. (snip) ---------------- OK. Now my curiousity is piqued. How in the world can a used player need breaking in? I may have missed the joke... but I didn't sense any sarcasm in the tone. It seems to me that this is ultimate proof of the psychological influence of the "breaking in" theory. PS Nice tip on the 1 point font sig. Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 like buying a used car with 567 miles on it. not yet broken in. keep changing that oil for awhile. -c7s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 Audio Flynn Now you werent making fun of my old signature were you LOL! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 Mace, The break in is not psychological in the case of the Rega Planet I bought. The original owner purchased the unit but did not spend much time actualy playing it, instead using a cassette deck more. He had only logged a few scattered hours on the CD player before deciding to sell and upgrade. He felt the sound was not what he expected. When I first connected and played it, believe me, it's sound was very constrained and not up to challenging my Ah Tjoeb 99. I even reported that in a post here. Having read mobile's previous break in issue, I decided to continue to play it and compare the two units. After another 50-60 hrs of use and re-reading the users guide, the recommendation to use better interconnects seemed reasonable. Eventually the sound began to open up after another 20 or so hours, and with a second upgrade of interconnects, it was smooth enough to consider moving the Tjoeb to only occassional duty. I have several instances of the same Jazz title on vinyl and CD. Without a doubt vinyl is better, but the Rega delivers a very smooth, and analog like presentation. The difference in it's sound between then and now are dramatic. So it's true, you may have to break in a used Rega CDP. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 good2bhome, The Rega is a top loading player using an analog post-conversion filter and a Burr-Brown D to A chip. The build quality of the units is generally considered excellent and it's a good platform to use with an external DAC with it's onboard digital output. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good2BHome Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 Jazzman, Thank you for the information. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 To further Jazman's apt comments, the Rega is built like a tank... VERY solid. And as we said, one of the main differences is the fact that it is a top loading system and not some flimsy tray insert with suspension. The Planet is an extremely stable platform with NO suspension in the drive portion. Instead it has a very rigid chassis, far more rigid and solid than any player you will see. Top that off with a VERY nice analog section that is very well built including the power supply and filtering. The next big difference in the original player is that 18bit Burr Brown DAC that the REGA engineers took and MODIFIED. This is their own proprietary redesign. And an interesting fact? The Burr Brown guys heard the Planet when it first came out...And they were SO impressed with the implementation (many companies use their DACs), they flew to Britain and met with the Rega engineers! Very interesting. All these things combine to make a GREAT player that is very analog (Rega is famous for their turntables and TONEARMS, their tonearm being the best deal in audio for tonearms). You can tell its heritage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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