Rega Mk 5 MM Fono Upgrade Decision Help?

mcoma04

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Hi all, I am new to the forum, and I'm thankful such a medium exists.

My question is this: my system consists of a Rega Planar 3 with Exact MM 2 cartridge, running into the phono stage of a Marantz model 40n integrated network amplifier, into Klipsch RP 600 Mk2's with a sub.

My question is, would upgrading to an external Rega Mk5 MM fono stage lead to 'significant,' like night and day, sonic improvement? I'm happy with my current setup, but don't know enough about the individual pieces to know how good the stand alone MM phono stage in my Marantz probably is relative to a dedicated external phono stage like the Rega Mk5.

I really appreciate your thoughts!
 
Welcome to the forum.

Definitely not ‘night and day’ more like the same meal prepared by a different chef. So, the seasoning might be a bit different.

I can’t recall what internal changes if any the Mk 5 has, though I know the box has changed. I had a Mk 2 which was essentially the same I believe. Unless you only buy new, these are easy to pick up used on eBay, then sell on, if that will satisfy your curiosity.
 

mcoma04

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This is great, thank you all.

If I wanted a “night and day” difference while keeping the Marantz, would a cartridge upgrade be needed along with an external phono pre?
 
This is great, thank you all.

If I wanted a “night and day” difference while keeping the Marantz, would a cartridge upgrade be needed along with an external phono pre?
It’s hard to say, because ime we all latch onto different aspects of sound. A better turntable with the same cartridge will sound surprisingly more dynamic and direct. A cartridge change will alter the tonality - in crude terms, richer, brighter, or smoother. Speakers change the entire experience!

I’d need to hear your system to know what I’d change, but you may have different priorities. What do you listen to most? LPs or streaming, or something else?
 
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It’s hard to say, because ime we all latch onto different aspects of sound. A better turntable with the same cartridge will sound surprisingly more dynamic and direct. A cartridge change will alter the tonality - in crude terms, richer, brighter, or smoother. Speakers change the entire experience!

I’d need to hear your system to know what I’d change, but you may have different priorities. What do you listen most? LP or streaming, or something else?
I would agree.
Ideally a phono preamp should add nothing to the system it should merely amplifier the signal coming from the cartridge.
That said cheaper ones don't do this particularly well and differences will be heard if only due to a raised noise floor.
Most obvious improvement, in an analogue set-up, will come from changing the kit at either end of that system i.e. cartridge or speakers.
 

mcoma04

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It’s hard to say, because ime we all latch onto different aspects of sound. A better turntable with the same cartridge will sound surprisingly more dynamic and direct. A cartridge change will alter the tonality - in crude terms, richer, brighter, or smoother. Speakers change the entire experience!

I’d need to hear your system to know what I’d change, but you may have different priorities. What do you listen to most? LPs or streaming, or something else?


I listen to vinyl almost exclusively these days when at home. I would like to stick with the marantz because it works so well as a tv receiver and my wife streams her music through network connectivity.
 

ifor

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what is?
if you're going to recommend your usual then I would suggest you look elsewhere.
My point is that you appear to suggest that since amplifiers, and phono preamps in particular, do nothing more than amplify a signal, they are all the same. They are not.
As for my “usual” recommendation (Graham Slee, for the unaware), it’s largely because having a piece of kit in one’s own system for a couple of weeks, for the cost of postage, goes a long way to answering a lot of the questions often asked, such as “would changing this component make a noticeable difference?”. I remain forever thankful I didn’t heed your advice several years ago, which was that the phonostage of my Roksan Kandy LIII couldn’t be bettered. Trying things for oneself over an extended period of time (e,g. two weeks and then switch back to what you already own) will always trump advice given on a forum.
 

jamesrfisher

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My experience. I had an Arcam A80 amp which had a built in phono stage, I added the Graham Slee Era V and it made a difference, not night and day. Then I changed cartridge from a Rega Bias 2 to the Nagaoka MP150 and that was a huge leap in performance.

NB, this wasn't a dig at ifor, I was typing as he posted, the fact I refer to a Graham see is a coincidence. As it is I agree that being able to borrow a Graham Sale for 2 weeks would be helpful, but for me the bigger leap in performance is in changing the cartridge.
 
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My point is that you appear to suggest that since amplifiers, and phono preamps in particular, do nothing more than amplify a signal, they are all the same. They are not.
As for my “usual” recommendation (Graham Slee, for the unaware), it’s largely because having a piece of kit in one’s own system for a couple of weeks, for the cost of postage, goes a long way to answering a lot of the questions often asked, such as “would changing this component make a noticeable difference?”. I remain forever thankful I didn’t heed your advice several years ago, which was that the phonostage of my Roksan Kandy LIII couldn’t be bettered. Trying things for oneself over an extended period of time (e,g. two weeks and then switch back to what you already own) will always trump advice given on a forum.
i was suggesting no such thing. You need to read what I said again.
 

ifor

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I’m sorry if it’s not what you meant, but it’s how I read, “Ideally a phono preamp should add nothing to the system it should merely amplifier the signal coming from the cartridge”.
 

Rui

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Hi all, I am new to the forum, and I'm thankful such a medium exists.

My question is this: my system consists of a Rega Planar 3 with Exact MM 2 cartridge, running into the phono stage of a Marantz model 40n integrated network amplifier, into Klipsch RP 600 Mk2's with a sub.

My question is, would upgrading to an external Rega Mk5 MM fono stage lead to 'significant,' like night and day, sonic improvement? I'm happy with my current setup, but don't know enough about the individual pieces to know how good the stand alone MM phono stage in my Marantz probably is relative to a dedicated external phono stage like the Rega Mk5.

I really appreciate your thoughts!
hello , i think that if you play a record and it sounds better than your cd player ,even if you have to put the volume a bit higher it´s ok , no big improvement would come of choosing a pre-amp for the turntable . The last Marantz amplifier i bought was from 1982 and it´s phono stage was good ,don´t know if it´s the same today but being marantz a philips brand their sound was incredible good , the reason why in the 80´s philips had no quality in their systems to make it´s hi-fi brand Marantz, but i bought a complete component system from late 80´s with 30 watts +30 watts and it sounded similar like their late 70´s equipment that was incredible how good it sounded. Still using today a mini system from the philips F series of 79 in my bedroom with some sb-f3 speakers from technics which are incredible good if using any equipment previous to 1980. the change of cartridge is a way of improving the sound coming from the turntable but after testing several brands low cost cartridges from the most sold brands today i realize that to meet the average quality of 70´s turntables and cartridges one would spend around 500€ or more, as an example i still have on one of my technics turntable a 207 C cartridge and still have old stylus bought in mid 80´s when they were stoping to make those needles that were made by nagaoka ,this refering to the EPS-270ES(E from elyptical) one would have to buy the MP-300 from nagaoka but still with less quality compared to the technics cartridge but good enough for todays standarts but there are alternatives like the Grado Platinum 3 or the audio-technica AT33EV and the 2m black from Ortofon also if wanting a better one the MP-500 from nagaoka ,there are a lot more but these are only examples. i tried cheaper cartridges first but a desilusion like the 2m blue from Ortofon or the sumiko pearl or the grado silver III prestige or even the audio-technica new series around 200€ that in late 70´s their AT95 was installed on pioneer´s first plastic turntables that were built by chuodenki and they had clean sound or even in 83 i bought a complete system but cheap from pioneer not for me but to family of mine and the turntable i kept it only took it from the box in 2015 and it had a audio-technica AT95 but the tip had fall from the spike and a friend of mine had still from HUCO a swiss brand of substitution needles from the 80´s a AT 95 wich i bought cheap, 20€ and conected my new old pioneer PL-430 to my A-91D integrated amplifier also pioneer with some 80´s good mission speakers known as "argonaut" or 780 it had a incredible clean and detailed sound and also notice that it was heavy ,built with iron just the cover or it´s frame was plastic. Today i can say that a lot of new turntables that i heard being good were really bad, this as a kind of information ,a fried of mine from Germany who lives in sunny south of Portugal ,he having very good turntables said "i´m going to buy a PRO-JECT" and to meet his quality expected he spent 14.000€ in the tunrtable and cartridge but it sounds really good but not as good as a thorens i bought in early 90´s that it still as great sound with a new cartridge from Ortofon , the Cadenza Broze but it´s a litle expensive, this because it´s original cartridge was also very good from Ortofon but not sold anymore. Hope you find you´re perfect sound in your turntable
 
Yes, agree with others, not sure if the Rega Fono phono stage will enhance your listening pleasure.

Most of my amps have had built-in stages, they've all been very good indeed. Based on my limited experience of phono stages, you need to go further up the chain.

The best I've heard, when I owned the Tucana, was Leema Elements, but isn't cheap. Used ones can be had for around £400-500. Will the OPs Marantz justify that outlay? Only he can decide.
 

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