Rega P3 turntable upgrade

Hi Cyreg!

I am a longtime P3 user and I have recently done a couple of upgrades from my standard RB300/Sumiko BPS which I have been using for ages.
Firstly, I would say that a cartridge such as the BPS was a big upgrade from the Elys - more detail, sweeter top-end etc.
My current set-up was arrived at in a fairly accidental way, i.e, unplanned. I am trying to build my own TT using Rega bearing/sub-platter with a granite plinth/platter driven by a DC motor via belt/thread drive. With this in mind I picked up a secondhand Michell TechnoArm A on eBay with the intention of using it on the 'special'. Unfortunately the project has stalled and my impatience led me to consider changing the RB300 for the TechnoArm on the P3. I was also very interested in a new cartridge as the BPS was pretty long in the tooth. I bought a ZYX R-50 Bloom low output MC as I had been seeing great reports on the web.
As soon as the ZYX arrived I decided to do the P3 upgrade. It was not without its problems! When I first attempted the tonearm swap, I could see no way use the VTA adjuster (which I was looking forward to playing with). I called Michell and they said that it would need to be removed and replaced with standard RB300 parts (bah!). Then as I was fixing the TechnoArm to the Rega plinth, one of the cartridge tags fell off onto the floor - I was very p****d off! Another call to Michell confirmed that they were willing to repair it If I mailed the arm to them.
So, just over a week later the TechnoArm arrived back in perfect conditioned and I tried again. After about 2 hours, mounting the arm and new cartridge, checking alignment and tracking force, I was ready to go. I was not dissapointed in the least. The sound was a leap above what I had before with bags of detail and lovely 'plummy'-controlled bass. I have been working my way through my collection with new-found enthusiasm. The Zyx is a great replacement for the BPS and seems to lessen surface noise far more  than the Sumiko.
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration though is the cost of the arm/cartridge combination, and whether the P3 as a platform is worthy of such components. I am thinking along the lines of a Gyrodec if my project does not materialise, so I do have the perfect partners if I go down this route.
Recently I have also been thinking about TT platter mats and record clamps to try to maximise what the P3 has to offer. I have just ordered a Clearaudio Harmo-nicer to replace the standard felt mat and also a TTweight from a guy in Canada ( 1lb weight machined from Aircraft alloy) which looks nice and was pretty cheap(£29 inc postage).
At the moment tho' I am really pleased with my vinyl front-end, but I find it incredibly difficult to stop fiddling!
The way I'm going I will have spent enough money to have bought a new SME!


Rega P3/Rotel RQ970-BX/Arcam Alpha 8/8P/Chord Odyssey 4/Monitor Audio GS10

You have some great gear there and a lot of pleasure from the experience. The experience of tweaking and making incremental changes is fun, I agree, and I agree you are also right about the build of costs compared to a new TT.

I forgot to state the obvious upgrade for any hifi turntable is an isolation platform or proper wall shelf, giving a solid and level surface for the turntable to sit on. On a Rega this will make a big difference. If using an isolation platform don't put it on a cabinet or surface that shakes when music is playing.