Chris Tasker's story of his Rega P5 TT

"Too many projects, too little time ... " is Chris's signature in vinylengine, yet he took time off to send me wonderful pictures and feedback on the upgrades in detail. I really appreciate his great effort and would like to share with you his story here :

" Hi Michael,

Thanks again for the upgrades you have developed for Rega Turntables.

Having bought a Rega P5, I knew it was a good table, but I also knew some upgrades were in order. I was very impressed with your range of upgrades so I ordered and have installed the following:

1) Double Pulley

2) Counterweight

3) Silicon Belts

4) VTA Spacers (only recently installed when I got the Dynavector Karat 17D) "

Pictures : courtesy of Chris Tasker of Toronto, Canada

Chris Tasker's Rega P5

"I found the double pulley and silicon belts to be a magic combination - they helped the TTPSU and an aftermarket sub-platter really improved the snap and bounce in the music. "

"The pre-modified P5 was a bit lazy and mushy, but with these upgrades, the urgency in the music returned."

"After this I found I still had two issues:

- I wanted to get rid of the residual background noise and,

- since I was running a Denon DL103r in an aluminum body as one of my cartridge options, I needed more weight on the counter weight."

"So I ordered the Motor base and the extra weight for the counter weight that we discussed."

"The motor base helped me to get the most black background I have ever experienced. The only noise I hear now during playback is what is built into the grooves! "

"Then I installed the additional weight to the counter weight and was finally able to fully enjoy the Denon DL103R in its full splendour."

" I have acquired a Dynavector Karat 17D which is known to be quite picky about VTA.

"So I finally installed the VTA spacers and found a very sweet combination that seems to agree very nicely with the 17D..."

" So to say I am delighted with your upgrade products does not even come close to how I feel. For the first time I have been able to enter a completely new level of audio playback. When you read the variety of audio forums, people talk about this quality and that nuance, but now I know what it all means. I now enjoy listening to my vinyl so much more than before - and I was reasonably satisfied before. Thank you Michael for your innovative upgrades - I can heartily recommend them to anyone wanting to take Rega table to a new and higher level. Truly magic. Regards Chris Tasker "

Thanks, Chris !

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So far I haven't got a chance to take a look at the new Rega RP3; I mean to get hold of one to test out and compare with my P3-24. ( Sigh... got to seek approval from my "finance controller" who complains that I have too many turntables ....)

Rega RP3 has a new RB303 tonearm and a new "double brace" for increasing stiffness between the tonearm and the main bearing. Compared to the older model P3 it's replacing, no doubt improved in design; however, this would not deter TT tweakers from seeking ways to make it even better ......

Double brace for rigidity looks good. I like it. (What about on my P3-24? Can't help flirting with this idea...)

Anyway, let's look at this new Rega RP3 belonged to Peter Kisilenko (a professional musician) of Montreal, Canada. He had modded his RP3 with various upgrades. And changing the aluminium pulley to stainless steel dual pulley probably would be his last mod, he said. Here's his pictures on how he removed the aluminium pulley professionally by using a gear puller. This is indeed very helpful to those who are doubtful about how to remove a tightly-glued pulley safely:

Pictures : courtesy of Peter Kisilenko of Montreal, Canada

#1 ) Pulley puller

#2) Gear puller in position

#3 ) Rega pulley removed

#1 ) Double pulley installed

<< .... Notice Peter has this tonearm lifter ?

Excellent! In case you fall asleep, your needle wouldn't remain in the groove at end-of-play.

Job well-done by this puller ........>>

Peter's view on the sonic improvements brought about by this dual pulley:

"Hi Michael, The pulley arrived today and the installation is done! It works perfectly! Here are some pics... #1) Here is the gear puller I used to remove the pulley on my RP3. #2) Gear puller in position #3) Rega pulley removed #4) Double pulley installed Sound-wise the double pulley helps to focus the audio image. Soundstage is wider and more details emerge. Bass is improved. Thanks for the fast delivery. Peter "

Thanks, Peter!

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Awty of Brisbane, Australia rebuilt an old Orpheus turntable and installed a RB300 braced to the platter suspension. Very happy to see my underslung counterweight being chosen to match his RB300 tonearm in this project. Sharing with you here his story and pictures of this rare turntable.

Pictures : courtesy of Awty of Brisbane, Australia

Brass record clamp with bull-eye's level

Read his post in vinylengine: Michael Lim's counterweight on Rega arms

"The postman drop off a little package from mr Lim this morning, a counter weight and record clamp with bubble. Wasted no time in fitting it, as I've been mucking around with the arm since rewiring it on Christmas night. The weight looks well thought out and well made. The stub has 2 "O" rings front and back, wrapped a bit of plumbers thread seal tape on the thread and tightened it up nice and firmly. Then it has a sleeve with a grub screw that goes over that and the weight itself has a half round slot that fits under that and has 2 thumb screws to tighten it and hold it firmly. Took a bit of mucking around to get it set up......its a bit fiddly, but once I got it sorted so everything was tight and level (has a flat area you can put a small bubble level on to get it nice and level) it was good. Not the easiest thing to use if you want to adjust in small increments......might be just me. Does the job. The record clamp is pretty cheap and is good for leveling the suspended platter......not the prettiest thing, but again does the job. Anyway Michael great to deal with and answered all my emails quickly and postage took just over a week (including Christmas) Not sure of any major sonic differences as the rewire was such a big difference everything else is just icing on the cake......cant wait till my new cart turns up and then it will be complete.... ....I received an email from Michael letting me know that the thumb screw under the counter weight can be unscrewed and screwed back into the back of the end stub if you are using a light cartridge and want to get the weight closer to the pivot point.....nifty..."

Thanks, Awty!

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You'll love Migkiller1971's video site!

More than a hundred video clips featuring music played on Rega P25 TT, Migkiller1971's vast collection of Lp's and his marvelous system is going to make you envy for sure. Listen to his modded P25 TTand you would believe you can always make your system sound better.

Pictures and link : courtesy of Migkiller1971, USA

In the above video clip, you would notice the aluminium feet (retrofit to the original rubber feet) on his P25 TT:

Here's his comments on the aluminium feet:

"I have big floorstanding Axiom m60ti speakers that are less than 3 feet away from my turntable and your feet dramatically helped in the isolation. I can now give a "HARD TAP" anywhere on the stand without getting any feedback. "

And his comments on dual pulley in vinylengine :

"The floor noise is non-existent...WOW... ....and the sound? Oh yeah!! its worth it. "

Thanks, Migkiller1971 for the beautiful music!

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David Bron of Essex, England owned a Planar 3 earlier and he has recently acquired a Rega RP1. Here are the pictures and feedback he sent to me. I really appreciate his great effort to share with us his experience .....

Pictures: courtesy of David of Essex, England

David and his Rega RP1.....

Part 1 : The story of single pulley (33.3/45rpm)

"I have been the happy owner of a Rega RP1 since last October after rediscovering the magic of vinyl once again. I had previously owned a Rega Planar 3 in the early 90's. Whilst I was finding the sound of my new RP1 to be very acceptable I couldn't help but be very disappointed with it's light weight build quality compared to what I remember of my Planar. So over a course of time I have been steadily improving it. First a glass platter then an after market subplatter. Each upgrade being very worthwhile in both sound and build quality."

"I decided to try your metal upgrade pulley next as the upgraded subplatter only served to highlight the cheap and tacky looking plastic pulley right next to it! Also what had happened due to the new subplatter having raised brass isolation pads, I found the drive belt was now resting only about a millimetre or so from the top of the subplatter......"

"To be truthful I didn't expect any difference in sound quality and would have been quite happy with the improved look of the pulley compared to the plastic one and I was also hoping to be able to adjust the pulley down a few millimetres to help the belt ride more central to the subplatter......"

"I followed most of your instructions and these really helped to make the job a much easier task. So thanks for that. In the end I used my partner's nail varnish remover which states it as being acetone free. However after a few drops and a few minutes wait the pulley popped off in my fingers."

"I promptly fitted your pulley after making a thin card shim to fit under the pulley to ensure the pulley wouldn't rub against the bearing housing. Once tightened I simply pulled the card out......."

( Excellent idea, David! )

" What I was pleased about was the fact I was able to pinch a good few millimetres and so my belt now rides more central to the subplatter which I was really happy about and of course the pulley looked stunning...... "

David's impression on single pulley :

"The PRAT had improved significantly. Instruments were starting and stopping with a greater precision. Bass notes were noticeably tighter and maybe a touch deeper. The increase in noise I thought I was hearing was in fact improved detail retrieval. The soundstage was improved and imaging more precise. Some warmth that went missing with the new pulley now turns out to be a removal of another layer of colouration and veil and it's now showing up the fitted Ortofon OM5E for the budget cartridge it is. The perceived sound level is louder for the same volume and dynamics are improved. All this without the famed magic white belt upgrade or your dual pulley design. So there you have it a very good value for money upgrade........ .... I'd like to buy the 50Hz DP1 dual pulley this time. Was so impressed with the improvement from the single pulley cant wait to try this one ......."

Stay tuned ....................

Part 2 - The story of double pulley (33.3/33.3rpm) :

"Hi Michael, My dual pulley arrived yesterday, less than a week after postage. So thanks once again for your excellent service. Fit and finish of the pulley is exemplary. Fitting and alignment took all of 5 minutes. I am currently running the pulley with two standard drive belts. Well, what can I say? Apart from I am amazed what a difference this upgrade has made. This on top of the significant improvement your single pulley had already brought. There is not one aspect of the sound that hasn't been improved by a worthwhile degree. Most noteworthy is a reduction of surface noise, voices and instruments now have really body to them, pitch stability is much improved and the PRAT takes another huge leap forward. Bass is extended by about half an octave whilst being tighter and punchier.

In short, in all of my 30 plus years of upgrades and tweaking. I have never spent so little and gained so much! Thank you so much for a wonderful product. I very much look forward to my next purchase from you. Best regards David. "

Thanks to you too, David!

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