phild79
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Rega Planar 3 cartridge recommendations
bierfeldt
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Consider the Ortofon 2M Blue or to Clearaudio Concept MM. both are wonderful cartridge thatbeill have a more balanced sound profile than the Rega.

commsysman
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phild79 wrote:

I've recently upgraded from a Rega Planar 2 / Carbon to a Planar 3 / Elys 2 and whilst the sound is bigger and more authoritative, somehow in the higher octaves I'm finding it lacking a certain something. Higher frequency percussion and female vocals feel subdued and a distant and I don't feel drawn into the music in quite the same way which is a real shame.

To prove I wasn't losing the plot I popped a Carbon (which I believe is a tweaked Audio Technica AT-91) onto the Planar 3 and whilst the Elys 2 is obviously the better cartridge, the Carbon had a real sparkle and lustre in the high frequencies (really noticeable with the likes of Amy Winehouse) that feels missing from the Elys 2.

What I'd really like is a cartridge that delivers the low and midrange authority and punch of the Elys 2 and its composure, but with the openness at the top end of the Carbon ideally at a similar price to the Elys 2 which I'll sell on.

Any recommendations would be gratefully received!

I love my Benz Micro cartridge; it does it all.

Not cheap, but excellent.

putty
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I'm leaning towards Clearaudio Concept MM myself, with the plan to upgrade my table in a year or so, then take my time audition/shop for a cartridge like the Benz Micro Gold and others in its relative price range. I really like the idea of making incremental changes to note the difference against reference material.

jj208t
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Please forgive my late comments. I just joined this site. I had an Ortofon Quintet Blue mounted on my RB202 that I had mounted on my RP1. It required the Rega VTA spacer no doubt. The Quintets are tall. It is my first LOMC and I am a convert for life. I have read on various forums to avoid LOMC's. My preamp is nothing special...a NAD C162 and there was no hiss or hum at all. I am glad that I decided to ignore the negative advice. The Quintet is the best cartridge that I have ever owned by far. It was not the low output, but the height that required the most attention. I mentioned the VTA spacer. I had to get the GrooveTracer counterweight to clear the dustcover. Because I used the more massive 12mm thick Rega glass platter(there were no 10mm thick available at the time), the RB202 was mounted on the 8mm posts of the VTA spacer and I had to get a RP10 platter mat to get the VTA where I wanted it.

Audiolad
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Rather than trying to sell you what brands to buy, there are many which sound better than the Rega carts for the same cost. Ortofon, Benz, Audio Technica, Nagaoka, Goldring, Grado.

Old Audiophile
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Don't know if this is too little too late but I spent a couple hours listening to the Ortofon Blue mounted on a Rega P3 (without TTPSU - think it was probably stock belt) played through a McIntosh MA 5200 and, alternately, through the Mac's Luxman competition in the same price range. The speakers were $4,000.00 Focal towers. Forget the model number. Vinyl was Mobile Fidelity re-mastered disks with a variety of music I wasn't really familiar with but mostly acoustic guitar & male voice selections. Also listened to some CD music I was familiar with (rock; jazz; acoustic; folk; etc.). I can assure you what I heard was nothing short of fantastic! The Focals, I'm sure, had a lot to do with that. Have you tried or are you considering the Rega Exact MM? You might also want to consider the Ortofon Bronze. I've read the Ortofon's pair well with the Rega decks. Happy Listening & Good Hunting!

Sleigo
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I play on Ortofon bronze on my Planar 3 and it sounds very nice-- deep lush sound, very neutral, goes great with rock, jazz and blues

StevenAWilliams
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Hi Guys,
What would you recommend as a stylus for a Rega Planar 3? It is an old turntable, perhaps 30 years old, and so is the stylus.
Do you also think changing the stylus would improve the slightly muffled sound?

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