cartridge suggestion for rega planar 3
Deckard87
cartridge to begin listening to my records again. however, i have no
idea what cartridge to buy. any recommendations are greatly
appreciated. thanks
tom
QXLMG
I like the Sumiko Blue Point for its natural midrange and detail.
Others prefer the Audio-Technica OC-9 low-output moving coil or the
Benz Gold or Silver.Grado cartridges are another good possibility.
Duane
Steve Zipser
Having sold and setup Rega turntables for a quarter of a
century (well almost - 23 years!) I think I'm qualified
to take a stab at this ;-)
First of all, I definitely do not recommend Grado cartridges.
They are hum-buckets when mounted on either a Linn or a Rega
table. They are a no-no.
Another no-no is the Sumiko BluePoint and BluePoint Special, unless
you have severe wax buildup in your ears! I have never heard a
Bluepoint that did not sound bright and glary in any good system, in
my opinion.
OK, so what works? Well the first and most obvious place to look is
to Rega themselves. At approximately $200 you have their excellent
ELYSE cartridge which tracks well, has reasonably flat frequency
response and no serious shortcomings. The Rega EXACT cartridge is the
next choice - it is around $400 if memory serves me and it tracks like
a champ, it is warmer and richer sounding than the Elyese, with better
bass, more focused imaging and a bigger soundstage. Top choice for me
is the BENZ MICRO GLIDER which is a superb high output moving coil
cartridge. At about $750 list it is the top performed in the RB-300 -
it is more transparent, more detailed and more defined than the Rega
cartridges.
I hope that helps a little
Cheers
Zip
--
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CCSman
are. They will hum on Planar 3 tables. Motor induction noise,
coupled with the unshielded nature of Grado cartridges produces this
result.
CCSman
Rega cartridges. For a Planar 3, a no brainer is a Rega Elys.
Moiunting is a snap, and even more important, the arm will be the
correct height! Rega arms aren't easily adjustable for height, and
the arm on a, P3 is a tad low for most cartridges.
But the height of the Elys is spot on for Planar 3. Is the Elys the
best cartridge for the P3? No, but it is fun, works well, and you
won't regret the investment.
Peter Taylor
glary and harsh. I was quickly into headache territory when demoing it at
home on my old Rega Planar 3. In ya face sort of style. Undeniably
dynamic and detailed though.
I was very happy with the Ortofon X-5MC which I owned for a few years.
Wonderful at conveying emotion (female voices through this cart really
bring lumps to the throat), sufficient detail to satisfy me at the time
(didn't suffer in comparison to the Sumiko in this respect) and listenable
for hours and hours on end. Interestingly, it was a big step up from the
X-3 which sounded very average in comparison. I was looking to upgrade
from a cheapo Grado at the time and the X-3 was more refined but didn't
make me want to buy it. Then the X-5 came on and hi-fi developed new
meaning for me.
Peter Taylor
Christchurch
New Zealand
w spohn
too glary and harsh. I was quickly into headache territory when
demoing it at home on my old Rega Planar 3. In ya face sort of style.
Undeniably dynamic and detailed though.>>
Is the BPS the bargain queen of midfi? Maybe not, but it is a very
decent transducer. Th only problem is that it needs a LOT of time for
break in and it sounds pretty sharp until near the end.
If you just take a fairly new cartridge and mount it, you aren't
giving it a fair chance - 50 hours later or more, you will be in a
position to assess it properly.
I think that many of the 'harsh' reviews come from cartridges that are
not properly broken in.
Dan Bonhomme
>
> <<Like another poster I find the Sumiko Blue Point Special to be far
> too glary and harsh. I was quickly into headache territory when
> demoing it at home on my old Rega Planar 3. In ya face sort of style.
> Undeniably dynamic and detailed though.>>
>
> giving it a fair chance - 50 hours later or more, you will be in a
> position to assess it properly.
>
> I think that many of the 'harsh' reviews come from cartridges that are
> not properly broken in.
I attribute a lot of cartridge criticisms to improper VTA. Many
people are unaware of the critical nature of this setting and its
pervasive effect on tonal quality. Furthermore, I've found the owners
of Rega arms often dismiss VTA adjustment as unimportant because
they've never tried it. VTA adjustment with a Rega arm requires the
use of external shims to set VTA, and a lot of effort to get it
right.
Many cartridges, I would even say most, benefit from some position
other than pure level. I have also found that when an arm looks level
and I lower or raise it a tiny amount, it still looks level, but the
sound has changed significantly. The true sound of a cartridge has
not been heard until it is broken in, and the VTA has been corrected
after break-in. Note that VTA on a complete Rega system; table, arm
and cartridge are automatically set for proper VTA when the arm is
unshimmed.
To the original poster, I would suggest an Elys, which is a good
cartridge and will have a synergy in a Rega system. It also has the
benefit of a three screw system which eliminates the need for
overhang adjustment.
Dan Bonhomme
Eric Veazie
gain and loading flexibility. I'm using a MC20 Super in a Planar 2
with 22 ohm loading. Smoother, more detailed, and <insert any
audiophile adjective here> than the Blue Point that preceded it.
I also like the cartridge body design which protects the cantilever
nicely.
In <93200653...@news.remarQ.com> Peter Taylor
Richard V
Don't bother about the Rega Bias, it's just not good enough.
I've also heard that Rega has just introduced a Super
Elys; I still haven't heard it but it sure will be my next cartidge!
If you can't find Rega cartidges near your place, you can
try Grado cartidges, they're also a fine match with your 'table.
Richard Vasseur
Ken Josenhans
> i finally earned enough money to purchase a planar 3 and only need a
> cartridge to begin listening to my records again. however, i have no
> idea what cartridge to buy. any recommendations are greatly
> appreciated. thanks
I confirm the reports that Grados, at least the low-end, hum
with a Rega Planar 3, and suggest avoiding this combination.
My choice is probably insufficiently audiophil-y, but I have been
most happy with a Shure V-15 V-MR in my Planar 3.
(I hope I got the designation right!) Don't use the cartridge
brush, though, it produces audible artifacts as the brush tracks
the grooves.
I haven't heard the current incarnation of this series.
-- Ken Josenhans
k...@netsun.cl.msu.edu
Dan Bonhomme
>
> I would recommend low output Ortofons as well, provided that you have
> gain and loading flexibility. I'm using a MC20 Super in a Planar 2
> with 22 ohm loading. Smoother, more detailed, and <insert any
> audiophile adjective here> than the Blue Point that preceded it.
In my catalogue it says the Ortofon costs more than the Planar 2, and
about the same as a Planar 3. Spending more money on a phono cartridge
than on the arm and table it will be used with may improve the sound
alright, but is a poor value upgrade when compared to the sound of a
better turntable with a less impressive cartridge.
How can a phono cartridge improve speed stability, or isolate the
cartridge from the onboard motor, or prevent vibration breakthrough? All
of these intrude on the upgraded cartridge's ability to glean more info
from the grooves, and make it a poor value upgrade. Linn's hierarchy of
the turntable is correct; the table is the most important, followed by
the arm, then last least the phono cartridge. I would add the caveat
that one should not take this hierarchy to extremes.
Dan Bonhomme
Steve Zipser
says...
> I attribute a lot of cartridge criticisms to improper VTA.
Sorry Charlie, but that is not the case here! I have been selling
Rega Planar Three turntables for a quarter century, and I daresay I
have set up more turntables in total, than ANY person posting to this
board - and I do not overlook VTA or LTA! The fact is that the
Bluepoint is bright, and while it is not my cup of tea, I can see
where it would be enjoyed if someone is using very old tube equipment
which ameliorates the bright top end.
But the fact is that Rega's own cartridges are excellent choices for
the Planar Three naturally - but so are some terrific moving coils
from Benz and Goldring.
> people are unaware of the critical nature of this setting and its
> pervasive effect on tonal quality. Furthermore, I've found the owners
> of Rega arms often dismiss VTA adjustment as unimportant because
> they've never tried it. VTA adjustment with a Rega arm requires the
> use of external shims to set VTA, and a lot of effort to get it
> right.
This may be true to some extent, since the Rega is as close as you can
come to a 'set itand forget it' type table. But in my case, when I
try a cartridge I definitely play around with VTA.
> To the original poster, I would suggest an Elys, which is a good
> cartridge and will have a synergy in a Rega system. It also has the
> benefit of a three screw system which eliminates the need for
> overhang adjustment.
Here I agree completely
Zip
--
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9535 Biscayne Blvd Miami Shores, FL 33138 Fax: 305-757-1367
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Bruce Kinch
k...@netsun.cl.msu.edu (KenJosenhans) wrote:
> Deckard87 (deck...@aol.com) wrote:
> > i finally earned enough money to purchase a planar 3 and only need a
> > cartridge to begin listening to my records again.
>
> I confirm the reports that Grados, at least the low-end, hum
> with a Rega Planar 3, and suggest avoiding this combination.
>
Hum issue aside, the Grados-especially the Platinum, the least dear
"woodie", are an excellent match for the Rega.
The induced AC hum is proportional to the distance from arm to motor,
and the Rega motor is underneath the glass platter, which of course
provides no electrical shielding. Fortunately, there is an
inexpensive cure for the hum problem that Grados evidence on many
turntables
In Primyl Vinyl Vol 3 #3, devoted to Rega upgrades, we found that
Co-NeticAA mu metal "foil", available from www.magnetic-shield.com,
effectively solves the problem. It is an easily cut and conformable
thin metal available in 4" and 15" widths. One can wrap the motor,
line the motorhousing, and/or simply lay a sheet on the plinth under
the platter, with small cut-outs for the motor shaft and spindle
bearing. Unfortunately, there is a minimum order of $50, so you get
enough to do a couple of decks.
The Grado is a bit taller that the Rega cart, so it results in a
slight back tilt of the arm, but the cartridge "likes" this VTA
alignment, btw.
Grados also hum on VPIs, and although the mu metal foil fix works with
them too, VPI commisioned Grado to produce lower output versions of
the Reference line which are less subject to hum pickup. You can, of
course, use them on Regas as well, providing your phono stage has
sufficient gain. Use the foil with them for complete hum suppression,
however.
Complimentary copies of Primyl Vinyl are always available to RAHE
readers.
Please email me directly if you would like a copy of the Rega issue.
--
Bruce Kinch
Editor
Primyl Vinyl
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