Moving Coil cartridge for Rega RP3 based system

[Sopagani]

Hello all, hope you are enjoying the festive season!

I’ve had a few issues with my MM phono stage and when looking for a new one/upgrade I managed to get a good deal on a Rega Aria which will allow me to try MC cartridges too.

My set up looks like this:

Rega Planar 3 (2020)
Rega Exact cartridge
Rotel RA1520
PMC GB1i
Polyvection DAC32
and soon to be delivered Rega Aria

Could anyone help me understand what MC cartridge could work well with the RP3 and the rest of the set up please?

Moving Coil is brand new territory for me…

Many thanks!
S

 

[Al ears]

Hello all, hope you are enjoying the festive season!

I’ve had a few issues with my MM phono stage and when looking for a new one/upgrade I managed to get a good deal on a Rega Aria which will allow me to try MC cartridges too.

My set up looks like this:

Rega Planar 3 (2020)
Rega Exact cartridge
Rotel RA1520
PMC GB1i
Polyvection DAC32
and soon to be delivered Rega Aria

Could anyone help me understand what MC cartridge could work well with the RP3 and the rest of the set up please?

Moving Coil is brand new territory for me…

Many thanks!
S

Stick with moving magnet unless you can afford to spend £500+ on a moving coil and are prepared to junk it if you do any damage to stylus / cantilever.
How much was the Aria and what can you afford to spend on a cartridge?
your amp already has an inbuilt moving magnet phono stage, or is this what you are having issues with?

 

[camcroft]

Hello all, hope you are enjoying the festive season!

I’ve had a few issues with my MM phono stage and when looking for a new one/upgrade I managed to get a good deal on a Rega Aria which will allow me to try MC cartridges too.

My set up looks like this:

Rega Planar 3 (2020)
Rega Exact cartridge
Rotel RA1520
PMC GB1i
Polyvection DAC32
and soon to be delivered Rega Aria

Could anyone help me understand what MC cartridge could work well with the RP3 and the rest of the set up please?

Moving Coil is brand new territory for me…

Many thanks!
S

Didn't I tell you the same on the other forum about if the stylus breaks. Just like Al ears says.

 

[Al ears]

Didn't I tell you the same on the other forum about if the stylus breaks. Just like Al ears says.

No idea but let's have the OP come back with his financial situation and what he hopes to gain, might be a good idea.

 

[Sopagani]

No idea but let's have the OP come back with his financial situation and what he hopes to gain, might be a good idea.

Thank you both.
The Aria was 450 and substitutes a Rega Fono MM which I will sell. The Fono MM sounds better than the Rotel built in MM phono.

I’m curious about the diff in sound the MC cartridge could produce as so far I’ve only ever had MM cartridges.

I was not thinking to spend a further £500+ atm on so am researching.
Should that be what it takes to achieve a meaningful step up in sound I could work towards it.

Or would you improve other parts of the set up first?

thank you
S

 

[Al ears]

Thank you both.
The Aria was 450 and substitutes a Rega Fono MM which I will sell. The Fono MM sounds better than the Rotel built in MM phono.

I’m curious about the diff in sound the MC cartridge could produce as so far I’ve only ever had MM cartridges.

I was not thinking to spend a further £500+ atm on so am researching.
Should that be what it takes to achieve a meaningful step up in sound I could work towards it.

Or would you improve other parts of the set up first?

thank you
S

Yes I would as you cannot really do moving coil on a budget unless you take a chance on second-hand goods, tricky when it comes to cartridges....
Ignore high output moving coils.

 

[Sopagani]

Yes I would as you cannot really do moving coil on a budget unless you take a chance on second-hand goods, tricky when it comes to cartridges....
Ignore high output moving coils.

Understood thank you.
Which part do you think is the weaker link of the system at the moment?

 

[Al ears]

Understood thank you.
Which part do you think is the weaker link of the system at the moment?

no idea about your DAC so would have to say the cartridge but basically it looks fine.
source or speakers are the usual items that offer most improvement when it comes to upgrading.
what do you think you are missing from overall sound?

 

[camcroft]

no idea about your DAC so would have to say the cartridge

AT-VM95ML of course

 

[Al ears]

AT-VM95ML of course

that's cheaper and arguably not as good as what he currently has fitted.
Needs to go much higher up the AT chain in my opinion.

 

[camcroft]

that's cheaper and arguably not as good as what he currently has fitted.
Needs to go much higher up the AT chain in my opinion.

I think that you are right in price range. As stated before about when an MC is broken it's broken. But the choice will be his in the end.

 

[Sopagani]

no idea about your DAC so would have to say the cartridge but basically it looks fine.
source or speakers are the usual items that offer most improvement when it comes to upgrading.
what do you think you are missing from overall sound?

Thanks both

I’m not lacking something in particular with the current set up, I like it.
But given the improvement in the phono stage I thought I’d try to understand what could bring about the next step up in sound performance from the set up. Given that MC options are available with the Aria, I wondered what to research and try next.

so far every upgrade I made brought about a meaningful improvement in sound clarity, stage and presence. If I had to describe the next step up it would bring about greater distinction between instruments and a more enveloping experience. The smallest diff probably was upgrading from Elys2 to Exact. I wonder though with the Aria (not yet arrived) how the Exact is going to sound?

as mentioned, I’m after the next step up in sound performance and thought MC cartridge could be it.

from reading about (but unfortunately not testing) I’m not sure that AT-VM95ML would offer that step up although it may sound diff from Exact. Overall I like the sound of my set up which is quite Rega dependant.

 

[Al ears]

I feel sure the Aria will add another layer to your current set-up.
You can make further significant upgrades by moving away from Rega moving magnet cartridges rather than going moving coil which can be a bit of a minefield.
If you must head down that route the Denon DL-103R is a classic and one of the only really good moving coil cartridges below £500 however it will probably mean your tonearm requires shims to set correct VTA but this can be quite easily done.

 

[Sopagani]

I feel sure the Aria will add another layer to your current set-up.
You can make further significant upgrades by moving away from Rega moving magnet cartridges rather than going moving coil which can be a bit of a minefield.
If you must head down that route the Denon DL-103R is a classic and one of the only really good moving coil cartridges below £500 however it will probably mean your tonearm requires shims to set correct VTA but this can be quite easily done.

It’s great to hear the Aria will already add a layer!
I’ve found this article which seems very useful (note ZU/DL-103 MK.II):

12 Best Cartridges for Rega Planar 3 (RP3) | Vinyl Restart

I have finally decided to upgrade to a Rega Planar 3. The big question is what cartridge to put on it.

vinylrestart.com

If not MC, which non Rega MM cartridges would you recommend?
Btw. Thx a lot for all your recommendations!
S

 

[camcroft]

So you are still not sure what you want. Sorry but it your choice I hope you make the right one. Forums are a real merry go round.

 

[Al ears]

It’s great to hear the Aria will already add a layer!
I’ve found this article which seems very useful (note ZU/DL-103 MK.II):

12 Best Cartridges for Rega Planar 3 (RP3) | Vinyl Restart

I have finally decided to upgrade to a Rega Planar 3. The big question is what cartridge to put on it.

vinylrestart.com

If not MC, which non Rega MM cartridges would you recommend?
Btw. Thx a lot for all your recommendations!
S

interesting to see they don't think shims care necessary for the 103R.
the Goldring 1042 is excellent as are Nagaokas but they are now quite expensive for what they are.
You need to mention a budget.....

 

[Sopagani]

Hi,

In the end after further research, I managed to find a Rega Ania Pro from someone upgrading and it sounds awesome.

So the set up now looks like this:
Rega P3
Rega Ania Pro
Rega Aria
Rotel RA1520
PMC GB1i

It feels like the P3/Ania Pro/Aria are maxed out until I upgrade the turntable.
Do you think the amp could do with an upgrade?
What would match the system well

still loving the speaker lots…so weary about upgrading as they match the space really well.

many thanks
S

 

[Emark600]

Thank you both.
The Aria was 450 and substitutes a Rega Fono MM which I will sell. The Fono MM sounds better than the Rotel built in MM phono.

I’m curious about the diff in sound the MC cartridge could produce as so far I’ve only ever had MM cartridges.

I was not thinking to spend a further £500+ atm on so am researching.
Should that be what it takes to achieve a meaningful step up in sound I could work towards it.

Or would you improve other parts of the set up first?

thank you
S

To me the upgrade from MM to MC was light and day, so much more detail, really brings out the best from vinyl. I went for the Denon anniversary cart, along with a Project phono stage preamp, this has massively improved what was already a superb turntable in the Clearaudio concept.

adding a decent DC power supply also helped hugely.

 

[GeoffreyW]

I was about to suggest a Nagaoka MP200, which I have in my RP3 but your Ania Pro would be my preferred upgrade, budget allowing.
BTW, you might consider upgrading your subplatter to a metal one, if you haven't already.

 

[Al ears]

I was about to suggest a Nagaoka MP200, which I have in my RP3 but your Ania Pro would be my preferred upgrade, budget allowing.
BTW, you might consider upgrading your subplatter to a metal one, if you haven't already.

That's not an MC cartridge....
And to be frank the subplatter is the last thing I would be looking to change, but it's a possibility.

 

[Sopagani]

Thanks both!

The Ania Pro sounds great and the move to moving coil made a massive difference.

I’m looking for an amp upgrade to match the phono and cartridge and at this point I’m wondering whether a second hand Rega amp would provide the best synergy?

 

[Din5]

Although I'm not familiar with your Rotel amp, I can say that the Rega amps are very good indeed and should work well with your existing Rega equipment. I suggest you could consider the Elex R or an Elicit R. I think Rega synergy exists..

 

[nopiano]

Although I'm not familiar with your Rotel amp, I can say that the Rega amps are very good indeed and should work well with your existing Rega equipment. I suggest you could consider the Elex R or an Elicit R. I think Rega synergy exists..

Indeed. I’d just caution to check, because not all models have MC inputs on the integrated amp. In fact I believe both the above are MM only.

However, Rega phono stages are an easy recommendation, though again check exactly which version you need. I’ve had two myself!

 

[record_spot]

I picked up a Benz Micro Gold cartridge last year which I'm very impressed with. I'd previously used an Audio Technica AT-VM95ML and the 95C briefly too. Very impressed with both, but the Benz is a step up if you enjoy a cartridge that majors on clarity and detail. Yours for £329 or better if you can get a deal (I got mine from the excellent Ian Harrison down in Derbyshire).