One thing I observed, where there was a slight warp on the record, the Naia arm seemed more stable and controlled when riding the warp. I certainly noticed an improvement in the sound. Excellent video.
Brilliant video as always Harley, thank you for the time and effort you have invested in making it. To me the Naia sounded slightly fuller triggers the age old audiophile conundrum of trying to assess the value of the marginal improvement against the increase in cost. Thank you again.
It was very interesting to listen to that comparison. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with the High-End community. I appreciate that! Best regards from Hamburg.
@@jimmurphy3287 thanks for the question. I have no idea, I think he was quite junior as he joined Rega when he was still fairly young. If I find out, I’ll let you know.
Great and interesting comparison. When I made the decision to upgrade from the older RP10 to the P10, I also bought the Aura phono stage in quick succession to replace my Aria. The difference it made in presenting what the record player was reading from the disc was staggering. Although it is a great phono stage at the price, the Aria seriously limits the information getting from the P10 to the speakers. If it limits the P10, the Aria will be a serious bottleneck for the sound quality the Naia is capable of. If you can hear clear differences between the 2 players using the Aria, then with the Aura it will be far, far greater. On the P10, the Aura dropped the noise floor into blackness, bass was much deeper, clearer and made up of many elements rather than just a low sound. There was more clarity and less grain in the mids and the treble was much crisper. Decay and attack all around was also much more natural. These are stunning record players based upon real engineering principles. I love the consistency in approach through the range and that you just get more of everything in sound quality with each step up from P1 to Naia.
I’ve had the P10/Apheta 3 for 2 years now and I’m getting the upgrade bug. I’ve heard the Aura is epic and I’ve always wondered if the Aura/P10/Apheta 3, could beat a Aria/P10/Aphelion 2. What would you say? I want to make an upgrade but not sure what makes most sense
@@mikechivy that’s a very interesting question. Unfortunately, I am still waiting to hear an Aura…. So I am sadly not in a position to advise. Hopefully, someone else can.
Oh yeah what a review! I have wait for that video! Very cool. Allthough i have Technics i love rega. had the RP1 back in the day and it was awsome deck. Now i have a SL-1210GR and it's my endgame deck. I think nowadays the top 3 brands are Technics, Rega and Thorens - 100% quality guaranteed.
Thanks for the video - I thought even through RU-vid onto an iPhone you could easily hear and more importantly feel the differences. For me, I much preferred the music presentation/retrieval of the Naia to the P10, and felt I could live with it but not the P10.
Thank you Harley for the video. I can imagine the work you put into it. These are both informative and fun for our hobby whether we end up buying the reviewed products or not. From an engineering perspective, it s amazing that when the rest of the industry is adding weight to reduce vibration, Rega is achieving the same effect by reducing weight and adding rigidity. I listened to the sound clips on my iPad with Apple AirPod Pro earphones. NAIA sounded richer with deeper base and more natural. Of course, the difference was audible but not night and day. Already lookinf forward tonyour next video. 😁
Thanks very much for your generous and interesting comment. Have you seen my video on the P10? I ask because in it, I do a test to see how vibrations pass easier through increased mass, the results surprised me. Enjoy the music
Thank you Harley, for, again, a very interesting video! I have four different turntables of which two are a Nottingham Interspace and the P8. Obviously very different (and played in different systems), but I have a particular love for the P8 and the technology behind it. The price for the Naia is a too big step for me but I am keen on getting the P10 in for a run against the P8 at home. Love your videos and look forward to the next!
Thanks for this analysis and discussion Harley. Given my aging ears and personal financial situation, I will stick with my P6/exact which is end game for me; but thank you so much for a wonderful insight into the higher end.
It's always a pleasure watching your videos . Thank you for the introduction Made me sad that at this point of my life, I can't afford those Formula ones/splendid turntables. Maybe one day Again, I appreciate your effort to give people insight into the world of audiophile 😮❤
You’re very welcome! Please don’t be sad, owning these things is a compensation for getting old! (Well it is gorgeous me anyway) 😉. At home I have a good old Lenco L75! That I am sure you can afford.
one doesn't;'t have to spend the world to get a nice turntable. Human hearing will create whatever listening experience you feel like experiencing. I was happy as a clam with an AR turntable from the eighties until the passage of time and very gradual upgrades made the turntable the weak link in my very budget constrained system.
Good evening Harvey ...........yes we're listening on YT with it's limitations ! BUT ..........even under these conditions the difference is NOT subtle ! The NAIA .........sound more complete and tonaly better ,closer to the real experience ... The P10 sounds great as long as you do not compare . Both are out of my budget .....but are revealing what analog and vinyl has to teach to processing music by hacking it into pieces and give it a digital value before decoding it back towhat is naturaly analog into our real world ....and that reminder is a GOOD thing ....to (re ) discover by a generation that grew up with only digital music as a .....reference to the brain.... Thank you for the upload Kind regards I met ROY in the early nineties and he left an unforgetabale memory being realy concerned by his philosofy of reproducing music............resulting also in buying a REGA tone arm...hahaha.
Not alot of people know this except commercial shop fitters,butt that"High Pressure Laminate" is commonly used to make cubicles in public wash rooms to form the walls and doors,it's approx 12mm thick,how do I know? I've installed them.
Absolutely. When pushing the design envelope to its limits, where the tiniest technical improvements may not even have an audible impact, the price is no longer the focus. But that’s what I like about Rega, you can buy one of their turntables with their own pickup arm and cartridge for a very reasonable price indeed.
Because you bought the Naia and, I guess, together with the Aphelion 2, please allow me to suggest that you upgrade the phono preamplifier at least for the price of the Aphelion 2, which is now, probably, 4000 euros. The Rega Aria is a high-performance device, but it costs a little over 1000 euros and no matter how well was made, at this price, many compromises have been made in its design.
@@PearlAcoustics Yes, Aura. It's what you need for MC. It uses the split RIAA architecture which reduces background noise a lot, but looking at some pictures and seeing what it has inside, it can still be improved with some better capacitors, both in the power supply and the input and output capacitors.
@@PearlAcoustics Auricap XO are the best capacitors that I have used in my designs as input and output capacitors and Elna Silmic in the power supply. The rectifier stage must be discrete and in parallel with every diod in the rectifier stage you can put a ceramic capacitor of 100 nanofarad value. My phono stage, made by me, gives me a 3D soundstage very solid with a black background.
Viva. Parece que o Naia, soa melhor, parece haver mais espaço, também mais "ar" em volta dos instrumentos (sons) Os silêncios, também me pareceram mais longos no Naia. De qualquer das maneiras, o P10, parece-me excelente. Saudações "audiófilas" de Portugal.
The NAIA has better Microdynamics and dynamic shading. The difference is not subtle in my opinion. In comparison the P10 setup is a bit blur. Glad you upgraded. I would have done the same.
Hi Harley, I noticed the script on your video. You DID relent and buy the NAIA a week later. Obviously, some of your viewers didn't read this. I just knew you would. I also told Ajay he should change your cartridge to the Alphelion 2. I wonder if he has now ..... I heard this turntable against my P10 (Alphelion) and could hear subtle, but very pleasing differences in just 2 minutes; through a valve integrated amp and my Sibelius SG's. Now that I have played the NAIA extensively for a couple of months now, I can tell you it is worth the money. Every album I play has more detail, more bass and a better soundstage. Rega never cease to amaze with what they can do in retrieving music from a vinyl groove !! There is one important difference in my system though. i don't use the Rega phono stage. My Naim Superline/SuperCap (DR) phono stage allows much more of what the NAIA can do. Similar price to the Aura, but much better. Again, thanks for a really great video.
Thanks very much Garry! You’re very kind. I am intrigued about your comment on phono-stage. Are you familiar with the Rega Aura, meaning, have ever done a side by side comparison? And what is better, if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m not a fan of Rega and I do wonder how durable that foam will prove to be. I’ll stick with my SME, proper British quality engineering. Nevertheless, I did enjoy your video as I always do, thank you so much for taking the time to make it.
Thanks very much for your kind words. With regards the foam, I am assured it will stand the test of time… but that’s yet to be proven. Just for your information - all Rega products are fully British, being manufactured and assembled in the UK.
Depending on weather conditions, my P10's mat clings to records after playing two or three in a row. So while I love my P10, which I consider to be a bargain, I don't like its felt mat. I'm seriously considering upgrading to a Technics SL1000R.
Hi, I discovered that the mat of the NAIA does not do this, it looks the same but it is made of a different material. My recommendation is to change mats.
Enjoying my P10/apheta 3 with Longdog audio MCJ3 hybrid phonostage, Naia to expensive for me, but now adding the aphelion cartridge seems the better option for me.
Amazing test! Gosh, it would make my day to do what you are doing with these two TT. If I may, I will ask a terrible question but one I feel needs to be asked. Are they at the correct speed? It is stunning to see the number of high end TT having slight speed deviation. I hope it is not the case with the P10 and the NAIA. Thanks for the great review once again, always appreciated. ps: very impressive demos
Thanks for your question and kind remarks. Yes, they are both exactly playing at the correct speed. One easy way of checking this is to start a digital stream or CD of a piece and an LP, then switch between. If they are still neck and neck after 10 minutes, or so you’re good. It’s a test, I always do when trying a new player. Of course you can always use a strobe disc too!
@@PearlAcoustics Great! Thanks for sharing the idea. I have found that spring suspension based turntables can sometimes induced slight speed variations due to some lateral movements. It it not always audible but on slow piano songs, I can pick it up. No springs with the Rega's so that's one variable less to mess with the correct speed! A+!
The burning question is?? Is the NAIA worth almost 6 thousand pounds more than the P10?? It certainly shows what a fantastic turntable the P10 is for the price.Im not convinced the NAIA is worth the rather large premium on sound alone.Its not a big enough leap in sonic improvement for me.
Hi Harley, great video and a very interesting comparison. At this point you’re stepping into Linn territory. I know you considered a used Linn versus the new P10 and I know the reasons you opted for the Rega. However, with Naia budget I’m pretty sure I could spec a Linn for you that would give the Rega a serious fright.
Hi Mark, thanks for the kind comment. I bet you could! Once we are up at the very high end, I would expect no different. There are many ways to boil an egg ‘so as to speak’ - maybe one day we can put them side by side? 😀
Stepping into Linn territory? ...The Linn LP12 is a colored mess compared to both P10 & Naia. ...I've owned LP12's for 35 years, and it took my P10 to help me realize the LP12 inherent colorations coloring all records played on them that I can now no longer unhear. The beauty of the P10 and Naia is that it lets the sound & air of the studio/artists intentions come thru adding very little to no colorations of it's own upon the performance thus making all records sound unique and fresh where as the LP12 makes all recordings sound somewhat the same and that gets to be draining and boring over time..
@@tl9756 I have to say that today, I listened to The Dark Side of the Moon on the NAIA today and it was the best I have ever heard it. I was so impressed. Usually, I give up half way through because the sound is too bad (too much distortion) but it sounded way better than the version is was streaming from at the same time
@@PearlAcoustics And with the P10 all of a sudden all Jazz records make sense too, I can't stop buying more early Blue Note Jazz records now, getting very expensive LOL, can't wait to hear a Naia in my system one day.
There could be other issues making the cartridge sound thinner one thing about thin felt mats or even thick felt they can cause slippage in the lower register, what in turn kills the bass, test it out! By placing your little finger on the record do you feel it slipping? put some 2 in - 1 in double-sided tape 4 pieces on the platter first, from the centre at 6 1/2 in stick 2 lengthway snd stick two parallel opposite to the spindle at 10 1/2 in from the centre diamond shaped. and then stick the mat to that see how it sounds then. The best cartridge is the van den Hul Crimson, one of the best cartridge or the best cartridges you can get about the same price four grand. But you have to be very careful with it its fragile there's no body to it is completely open and that's what you want from a cartridge. Power supply makes a difference have you tried the power supply from the new one on the p10, always run a motor power supply through a conditioner installation Transformer with capacitor. I wonder trying a leather and suede mat? Your felt mat look rather thin about 3mm, yes you can adjust the height of the arm even when they say you can't, but if you're not comfortable then stick to the size that supplied what is 3 mm looks like. It might be worth sticking some newspaper underneath the mat one or two sheets that small rise in the height can have a dramatic effect you'll find tuning it, but as I have indicated with such a thin felt mat grip might be an issue. Find a thin leather suede it can be very warming and give you better bass without dramatically affecting the treble make sure the suede is up. I made my own I know you can buy them but not sure what hide it is I would stick with goat if you can get it
Dear Sir, Thank you for your reviews on P10 and NAIA as I am considering to purchase either P10 or NAIA. I will go for the P10. By the way can you give me some idea about the different between Apheta 3 vs Aphelion 2? Are you using Aria MK3 for the turntable review?
Hi, thanks for your kind message. Yes I used the Aria 3 for both turntables. I do compare the Apheta 3 and Aphelion 2 in the video, maybe you missed it? Personally, I found nothing wrong with pairing the P10 with the Apheta 3. It’s a lot cheaper than the Aphelion 2! I hope that helps?
High precision and tight tolerances are only part of the equation. As you can see in the video, the cartridge is moving left, right, up, and down while playing the record. If the turntable isn't designed to mitigate an off-center or warped record, all the precision in its construction would be wasted.
Indeed. I am lead to believe that the very tight tolerances in the bearings allow the stylus to track warped records and dust very well because no energy is lost or allowed to echo due to resonance in The arm. This is an over simplified reply. Sorry.
While Rega is applauded for striving for turntable excellence, my biggest concern is your speakers are subjecting the turntable to micro vibrations & the turntable is mounted on what amounts to a large sounding board. Have you considered placing the turntable in an adjacent room behind a wall that acts as a sonic barrier? I seem to remember audiophiles advocating this approach in the 60s & 70s, so it's not a new or my idea. Is your listening room treated to be the sonically best it can be?
Hi, thanks very much for your comment. You raise an interesting point here. Indeed, from the early 80’s I always had my turntables standing on steel brackets mounted directly to a brick wall. In those days, if one turned up the volume, with the stylus on a non moving turntable, feedback would quickly ensue. Bearing in mind our listening room is also a demo room, we found it more practical to demonstrate it this way. I did a test (as mentioned above) and it was absolutely fine, no feedback as such. But you are right it would be better in another room. Yes, the room has been fully treated by GIK.
I'm just repeating Rega philosophy. Feedback is the extreme case, 100% distortion. Hopefully, you'll investigate further to ensure you're getting full value from this very expensive turntable & cartridge, cheers!
I always appreciate a carefully thought out buying decision. I struggled mightily with the buying decision of my own, much less costly, end of the road turntable , a Michell gyro SE, which follows a lot of the Rega design principles , except the Michell is suspended . Michell even uses a hot rodded version of the Rega arm, which kind of makes me want to take advantage of the rega cartridge mounting system.
I had listen to this video with IPhone 12max pro and AirPods Pro: the naia sounds fuller/richer and with a better black background. Is it the money worth? I don’t know - try it and get the one you have the money for
Hi, thanks for your very interesting comment. I know exactly what you mean, there is far too much pressure on having to have ‘the best’, whereas logically, like with cars, we just choose according to the specifications we need and budget we can afford, knowing there is always something more expensive and exclusive. This should be the same with hifi and people should not feel dissatisfied by not always owning ‘the best’. To be fair to Rega, before the NAIA there was always the way more expensive Naiad, and it was Rega’s ambition to make something ‘as good’ but at a more reasonable price.
Thanks Harley, interesting comparison and background to the development of the Naia. Listening through Sennheiser Momentum headphones straight out of an iMac the Naia was clearly superior imho.
OK, I'm ready for the criticisms of confirmation bias but here goes: even over RU-vid, the differences are clear: the Naia had better microdynamics. This could be heard as Clare Teal made subtle dynamic modulations of her voice; it was clearer on the Naia, those subtle microdynamic shadings. On the same track, the snap of double bass line was more clearly articulated by the Naia. The double bass inhabited its own discrete acoustic space. At first, I thought the Naia was dragging the tempo a little but what it really did was unveil better the tension and release in the recording. The Naia seemed to hold the tension of the music back and then release it in a crescendo just as the tension was becoming unbearable. This is tied to its ability to better reveal microdynamic shading. I don't care much about soundstage depth but in this the soundstage of the Naia seemed better layered and images more 3-dimensional. The massed strings had better detail in Scheherazade. I would probably fail a double-blind. And no, I don't smoke nor do hallucinogenics.
Why are crackles and pops less noticeable with better cartridges, tonearms and decks? The size of a typical dust mote found in a record groove is 3-9μm. The average speed of the record past the stylus is about 600,000μm/s. Taking the size of the stylus into account a dust mote will have come and gone in about 1/20,000th of a second. This will result in an impulse equivalent to a half waveform at 10khz. This is way to short to be heard directly. The impact of the stylus with the dust mote puts a lot of energy into the system like a little hammer blow. This energy makes the cartridge, arm, deck ring and resonate. It is this ringing that you actually hear. A better cartridge etc will control resonance better and ring less making the pops less audible. A similar thing happens due to the normal modulation of the groove but to a lesser extent. A deck with more suppressed surface noise will tend to sound better.
Heard the Naia a couple of weeks ago at my local retailer. A really nice shootout between P8 w. Apheta2, P10 w. Aphelion2 and the Naia w. Aphelion2 (of course). I bought the P10/Apheta2 a year ago and didn’t think that my dear Rega could be outperformed to this extent! Since I was thinking of eventually in the future upgrading to the Aphelion2 on the P10, it was a perfect comparison since I didn’t like the P10 w. the Aphelion!!! I’m very interested in your comparison Apheta vs. Aphelion on the P10 (if you have made one)! In my ears it sounded very thin and wound up being the last of the three, clearly beaten also by the P8, so now the Aphelion2-upgrade is out of the question! Strange isn’t it? I think that the P10/Apheta2 really is a wonderful player for a reasonable amount of money, but frankly: The Naia is a bargain for those who got the cash!! Thanks for a great review and funny that you were convinced to NOT buy the NAIA, and then… All the best/Johnny in Sweden
Harley, I just came to askmyou if you may support a petition from a guy in England to label autotune and pitch correction on music. His channel here is WINGS OF PEGASUS and I think we watch music die at the moment. Give us all this favour tomsave the timbre. Thanks mate.
Thanks for your comment. (To be fair, it is quite a bit more than just adding an extra belt) 😉 But, indeed, the effort to get to the next level it terms of man-hours of development, materials and manufacturing changes becomes exponential.
Always makes me chuckle that they spend countless time selecting the very best materials, manufacturing every component to a tiny tolerance, painstakingly assemble the finished item, then a record is placed on it with a warp and that £4000+ cartridge is bouncing up and down with complete gay abandoned. 😅
Indeed… but isn’t that the challenge of vinyl? Record collections are full of warped records, and a good pickup arm has to be able to track it, otherwise it’s better to play CD’s 😉
Hi, thanks for your question. Sometimes yes, but acoustics and post production techniques can play tricks on you. The only thing is, if an acoustic instrument is recorded from quite a distance, it’s very hard to make it sound close up. The other way around is easier! 😉
Wow. Talk about damning with faint praise. So a very slight difference in sound and more sex appeal for double the money? For the record, Michael Fremer came away with a very different opinion. I need to hear them. I have a P10.
Thanks! Indeed, when I am making these videos, they are never scripted, and because I need to concentrate on many things at once, the correct words do not always come to the surface when needed! Especially if I am thinking in another language! Glad you enjoyed it anyway.
"they look almost exactly the same at first glance but the difference is quite striking" ... so they dont look the same at first glance otherwise the difference wouldnt be stiking .. you are full of BS
Hi, indeed you picked up on a slip in my use of English. But please understand that I am not working from a script and sometimes exactly the right words and phases are not automatically appearing. However, I hope you understood the point I was trying to make? That, although they look similar, in fact they are technically very different. Sorry that this annoyed you.
That’s how understood it, Harley. The gentleman is quick to tear you down, how pathetic to say to you you’re full of BS. Thank you for the comparative review comparison. I actually could hear the differences between the two TTs. Both sound wonderful but the newer is fuller in the mids and thus seem more grandiose 👍.
That’s interesting. Thanks for sharing your opinion. My question is, have you ever seriously compared them side by side? I am a big believer that there is more than one way to solve a problem… (in this case to accurately extract data from a groove). I would be very curious to put the best LP12 alongside Rega NAIA and invite an audience in for a blind test, under controlled conditions. Maybe something I will do next year.
Linn LP12 historically set a standard that was hard to beat. I believe Rega have managed to do so effectively by applying a different approach to build.
I am an owner of P10....and if I had the budget, I would buy the Naia even before testing it...I am sure it should be in another league comparing to P10..I trust on Rega...my journey started with Planar 3, P7, P9, RP10 and now P10...always a big step forward.
Thank you for the very informative video. During the first piece I thought they sounded exactly the same. But that changed with the two classical pieces. Using studio headphones on a Macbook, the Naia had much more dynamics and liveliness for me, especially in Vivaldi.
Thanks for an interesting video. I have went back to vinyl after 30 years and it’s amazing. When I put together my system now I put in 70% on the tt (Rega P10) and the result is stunning. I have a Rega Brio and 50 years old Sonab OA12 speakers (refurbished). When people listen to my system they are blown away. I wish that Stig Carlsson, that design the speakers, could hear what they can deliver. Rock On, Mats
Thank you for your kind appreciation. It’s very welcome. 🙏 Now on to your system.. oh, I remember, experimenting with a very similar design to your Sonabs, I was always impressed with them but I wanted an extra octave in the bass, so we built our version twice the height and then hanging a concrete block, in the shape of a pyramid inverted above a central drive cone in the top. So pleased you had your Sonabs renovated, they are classic! Enjoy
I think your P10 on a lightweight, rigid and stable stand (by itself) would outperform the Naia on that heavy rack. Maybe. But you could improve the performance of your deck quite noticeably with said stand.
Hi Michael, Thanks for the tip. You’re absolutely right, in fact Rega make very good wall brackets. Because things change around quite a bit in our listening room, we made this compromise. Surprisingly, the stand is working way better than expected. I believe the big difference between the two is from the improvement in the pick up arm’s bearings. But indeed, one day I will set it up to its maximum benefit
Great video, thanks! The difference can easily be heard even on RU-vid. Just one question - what tracking force did you use here for the NAIA/Aphelion 2 and what phonobox as well?
@@PearlAcousticsyes, it really helps, thanks!!! ❤ The NAIA seems to be amazing, even from the RU-vid quality here. I just ordered the NAIA/Aphelion 2 Combo as well, but will take some time until it arrives. Was wondering about the phono stage, since the Aphelion 2 has a description of recommended 1000 capacitance, but mine phono stage has no capacitance option and as far as I’m concerned, the low end MC cartridges don’t need one. Really strange🧐 Best Wishes from Bulgaria!
In my opinion, doing the test, would have been better if you'd have used the exact same cartridge on both turntables. As the difference could have been down to batch variations.
I do not own a single record and obviously no turntable. And I do not plan to buy one - I can already see a new wormhole opening up eating away the funds that I don't have 😂 But still I watched the whole video and once again felt educated and entertained. Thanks for the marvellous presentation 👍🙏🙌
A question for you, Harley. Do you have UK dealers where I can hear the Sibelius? My current speakers are Epos ES25s, playing my P10/Apheta 3 through Naim 72/hi-cap/2x140s. The turntable is new, replacing my Xerxes/SME IV, and I added a second 140 at the same time. I do feel very fortunate to have this system, but I think the new front end is showing some stridency in the mid / upper-mid ranges. I think it is the speakers really as it is noticeable with CD as well. So new speakers may be on the cards (will it ever end?). The avoidance of a crossover is appealing, and I’m a fan of good cabinetry, but I can’t chance €5-6k without trying first. Any advice welcome; from Harley or others in the community. Thank you.
Hi Thank you for your question. As you probably know, we only sell direct but we do have a number of dedicated listening rooms in the UK. So if you reach out to us via our website (link in the details of each video) I am sure we can arrange a listening session for you! Enjoy the music. Harley
@@PearlAcoustics Thank you. I will do that. I’m looking at new speakers as a retirement gift to myself, so a year or two to go 😊. I appreciate your engagement with so many of us on your RU-vid channel - it does feel like genuine passion, and not a part of the business.
@@moose99moose that’s lovely to hear. Indeed, it’s a genuine passion! You’ll find that in the whole Pearl Acoustics team. Even our webmaster is a musician
I found the differences between P8 & P10 to be subtle in most cases, but non-trivial. That step-up seemed very worth it if you have the system to support it. Personally, I would save the cash from a NAIA via buying a P10 + a solid phono stage + SUT + Cart.
The differences seem to be really minimal ... That LP is a bit warped .... Perhaps you should try a better phono stage "still not" silly price .... ? SUGGESTION PrimaLuna EVO 100 Phono Preamp Your accent is beautiful, very british ..... !
👍 thanks for your suggestion. Indeed, at this level the differences become smaller and smaller. But to be fair an in room recording does not capture the subtleties (especially once compressed for video. Indeed, I am British and Belgian, having lived in Belgium for nearly 30 years. Thanks for your kind appreciation
Should have connected P10 and Ania with Aura instead of Aria, could hear more difference. I've P10/Apheta3/Aura combo. After hear your clip, I would buy Naia if I get enough $$$.
I agree that the Aria should not have been used. Most likely the differences in both turntables will be larger when a phonostage was used in the same league. Or even use something else then a Rega cart.
@@guus007 thanks for your comment, I am following up with an Aura phonostage… interested to hear the difference. Which is your favourite cartridge for this turntable, May I ask?
I think the differences would have been more obvious with a higher end phono preamp. The Aria is lovely but well below the level of even the P10 let alone the Naia. The Rega Aura would have been much more appropriate. Having said that, the difference was immediately obvious to me in my system even listening here on RU-vid which is a huge downgrade from what would be experienced live. What I heard immediately was that the P10 was harder and harsher compared to the smoother more refined Naia.
Indeed, an Aura would have been better but they are not easy to get hold of, only made to special order - however, with the Aria it was still impressive. I am trying to get my hands on an Aura… 😉
unless you find satisfaction in endlessly buying equipment, there will come a time where the system before you is satisfying and churning equipment makes no sense. .
@@richardelliott8352 indeed. It’s one thing having a professional listening room, open to the public, and what one has at home. I wouldn’t want constant changing in my listening room at home.
one brilliant design approach that Rega enjoys is simply adding a third screw to attach a cartridge, making correct installation , without complications or the need to buy special gauges for mounting , easy.
Even if I had that kind of money to spend my inner being would never let me spend that kind of money on "foam". My Nottingham Analogue table uses the opposite design philosophy but it sounded great with the Rega arm it originally came with. I just bought a modded Rega arm (to go with the Space arm) as my table is capable of two.
Thanks Harley, and thanks for the comparison a/b test at the end. FASCINATING at times i thought the P10 was richer and the decay of notes more rounded, the Naia pulls a little more out in the detail. Thanks for this superb video.
Hello Harley, if there would not be your relationship, reviews and comparisons on Rega, perhaps I would never purchased my P10 with Aphelion 2. Some awaysome turntable. If I would have start over and again and wanted the only one turntable for rest of my life I would go for Naia. I am glad I do not have to do so. On top of everything else, Naia is probably as good as Lp 12 in terms of sound for a margin cost. Super video again !
HEAR THIS i have owned a lot or rega and when they say the bearings are better they are telling the truth, the bearings on the higher up models are insane
Hello Harley, Thank you very much for this video. If I'm honest - I had a similar experience when upgrading from Rega P3 to Rega Planar 8. There are differences - indeed - but they do not correspond with the higher price. I like my Planar 8, even though you can also be happy with the P3. All the best!🙂
i maybe went to buy a turntable and in the heat of the moment i bought the new P10 with it´s suply source and put it a HANA Umami red ,only because i have access to them by a reduced price and the substitution is also cheaper , the alpheta 3 was so expensive and other options ,maybe better but price wise i went for the cheapest i could get and for the first time i enjoyed a new wave turntable as my SL-1000MKII from 79 still is my favorite amongst others as the TD2001 from thorens bought in the 90´s with ortofon old quality. this was the last i had bought ,at the time i even consider buying a all thorens system but i had already a lot of good components ,so i could avoid spent a lot of money having already a system for it
@@PearlAcoustics yes , it sounds amazing , i thought the optional cartridges were better than the hana but after looking at all specifications , the hana either than making it sound better, i think its more dynamic and detailed , also compared to what i had it conected in the store , as it reads perfect all records i tried , i guess i made a good purchase , i think i'll never buy other , the last i bought was a thorens TD2001 in mid 90's with old ortofon cartridge then i thought it would be my last one, let's see
Clare Teal: the difference is very subtle, impossible to pass a blind test 👉Vivaldi: the difference is clear, with NAIA has better sound, much better 👉Rimsky-Korsakov: the same than before, much better I suspect that Clare Teal record has low DR (dynamic range), hence the difficulty. And this with AAC 128 (1080p). With AAC 192 (4K) the difference would be more noticeable since recordings with a large dynamic range, such as orchestral masses, appreciate it.
That was great once again. I was anticipating this comparison so much, as I already own the P10 and the Aphelion 2 cartridge. Surprisingly, a lot of things came through RU-vid. I got that fatter bass but also all sounds were more meaty. Better decay too with the Naia. Great sound! However, I don't think I'll be changing my turntable at the moment as the cost is quite high for me right now. But perhaps later at some point. But cheers for that!
I own a P10/Apheta3 and totally agree with you but if I got money to spend I will pay for a Naia. Meanwhile, I'm thinking to get aluminum milled to look just like Naia' feet. That's only thing I can do for my P10 now.
@@chatrs1025 thanks for your comment. There’s no denying that the P10 is a wonderful turntable, especially either the Apheta3. I get your point about the milled feet but, keeping it original would ensure its authenticity in years to come? In any case, I believe it’s wise to keep the originals as an option for any future owner, should you ever upgrade.
Hi Harley, Another great and informative video. I have the P8 and do love it. Unfortunately, I had the Ania Pro on it when I purchased it but it never sounded right. I thought I had a system or speaker setup issue where vocals on some albums pulled to the left of center. The cantilever ended up being bent. As a result, I was informed by Rega it was not covered because I waited too long reporting the issue, about 6 weeks or so after being purchased. Lesson learned. My dealer was amazing and got me setup with a new cartridge at a great price. Wish Rega provided a better customer experience given everything was brand new. Cheers.
Hi, thanks for your very kind appreciation of my work. A bent cantilever is a tricky guarantee issue as they are so easily damaged, even without knowing it, and so hard to prove. Nowadays I photograph my cartridges on arrival, for that exact reason. I am sure someone at Rega will be reading these comments, luckily your retailer helped you out. Enjoy the music
That's a great idea to take photos. Thank you for the suggestion. It would be great if Rega reached out. As mentioned, I love my P8. I also own one of the Rega Amps 😊. For sure, it is a very hard issue to prove where/how it got bent. Definitely a learn for me. Thx again.
I've found Rega customer service to be excellent. They offer a lifetime guarantee on their products. They would have rebuilt the Ania Pro for around £400 and returned it in less than a week. I have this cartridge on my P8 and it is outstandingly good.
