Best cartridge upgrade for Rega RP3?

[thescarletpronster]

Nagaoka MP200 just arrived in the post. Now I've got to work out how to fit it...

 

[Al ears]

Nagaoka MP200 just arrived in the post. Now I've got to work out how to fit it...

Nope. First you have to work out how to remove the Elys 2. *biggrin*

 

[thescarletpronster]

Haha, good point. Hammer?

Seriously, it would be great if these things came with decent instructions. I also bought a Michell VTA adjuster, which has text but no diagrams. If you're starting from a point of no knowledge, as I am, pictures are immensely helpful.

 

[Lost Angeles]

Nagaoka MP200 just arrived in the post. Now I've got to work out how to fit it...

Hammer, nails, staple gun works well. Make sure you keep the stylus cover on until fitted, take your time and don't get worked up. It ain't rocket science or even a 17 ton gearbox.

 

[Al ears]

Haha, good point. Hammer?

Seriously, it would be great if these things came with decent instructions. I also bought a Michell VTA adjuster, which has text but no diagrams. If you're starting from a point of no knowledge, as I am, pictures are immensely helpful.

You've made a very good move in purchasing the Michell VTA adjuster it is a brilliant bit of kit and I'd urge all owners of TT's that do not have this facility built in to get one. (I do not work for Michell, unfortunately, and there are other makes of this device on the market).

If you look online I'm sure you can find some good pics / videos on how to fit and align a cartridge. You are fortunate in a way that the Nagaoka's shape makes it easy to align unlike some of the more exotic cartridges with curved bodies.

Not that I have anything against certain curved bodies you understand

 

[stevebrock]

would be interested to hear your thoughts on the MP200 - i thinks its a great cart for Rega decks

 

[thescarletpronster]

Not that I have anything against certain curved bodies you understand

Completely - although I assume you don't try to fit them to your tonearm – unless that's a euphemism I haven't heard before... Thanks for the online video idea, I hadn't thought of that. I can't find anything relevant apart from this article on fitting a 3-point VTA adjuster. Even though it's a different model I'm sure it'll help. Thanks again.

would be interested to hear your thoughts on the MP200 - i thinks its a great cart for Rega decks

Yeh, I'll let you know when I've got it up and running. I'm new to this level of hi-fi quality so I won't have anything to compare it to, apart from the Elys 2 of course.

 

[thescarletpronster]

Right, it's all installed, after much sweating and head-scratching, thanks to my very engineering-minded friend. It's sounding good so far – currently listening to Tom Waits's Bone Machine – though no doubt I can play around with the balancing over the next few days.

Does anyone with an MP-200 have advice about the best tracking force/bias to use? I've got it on the minimum recommended setting at the moment - 1.5g - but I know some people reckon that it's good to use a lower force than the manufacturer's recommended range.

Just one thing - I now can't close the lid properly! Has anyone else had this issue? I did use the larger ring of the Michell to give extra lift as the platter damping rings I've added add about 3mm height in total, and the Nag is supposed to be 2mm deeper than the Elys. Bit of a pain if I can't close the lid, though - and I'll need to be careful not to close it when playing a record or I might damage the stylus .... any thoughts?

 

[stevebrock]

I would err on the plus side to be honest, i ran 1.8g on my RP6

Regards the lid, yep with a spacer and a non Rega cartridge it is not possible to have the lid closed while playing vinyl - this is normal, i preferred this anyway!

Your thoughts on the MP200 v Elys2 ?

I think the MP200 is a superb cart on these mid-price Rega decks - nice compliance with the RB303 perfect balance

 

[Al ears]

I'd agree with stevebrock and err on the slightly heavier side of recommended average when it comes to downforce. More damage can be done to an LP by running too little rather than too much weight.

It may be a bit of a faff but I'd recommend playing with the lid off completely, this should improve SQ a bit, at least it always did with my old Planar 3.

 

[thescarletpronster]

Thanks, both. Will try 1.8g and see how that goes.

Steve, at the moment it's sounding as good as the Elys - possibly a bit more detail - but it's not the remarkable improvement I was expecting. I'm going to play around with the balancing and alignment before judging it, to see if I can get better sound from it - also let it bed in for a while.

Al, I think I'll have to try it with the lid off. Trouble is, because my hi-fi is under a south-facing window, I can't play it without the lid until about 3 in the afternoon as the sun hits the TT and I'm worried about that damaging delicate parts, including warping the vinyl! I have a sheet over it when I'm not using it to protect it, and at the moment, the lid is open with the sheet fixed to the top of the lid with clothes pegs!

 

[stevebrock]

Make sure everything is aligned properly it should start to open up in 20/30 hours

 

[thescarletpronster]

I'm starting to notice differences, and even instruments that I hadn't heard before or had misidentified. The percussion on Tago Mago gives a greater range of sounds, and is more defined (plus there is once again hardly any crackle at all on my what should be NM copy - I'd been worried recently that I'd damaged it); what I thought was a violin on Sailin' Shoes by Little Feat turns out to be a tinny organ; there's more definition from the chimes on Anna Calvi's 'First We Kiss' (although strangely there's a lot more crackle on this album); and so on.

Of course, there's always the factor of listening more carefully when you get new equipment, but I did that when I first got the RP3, and when I put in some platter upgrades, and I'm hearing things now which I didn't when I got either of those.

I'm looking forward to experimenting more with my Nag and discovering more what it's capable of. I've just changed my avatar as well!