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Rega P6 cartridge recommendations

S

Sam Smith

pfm Member
I wonder if anyone can recommend a cartridge up to about the £400 mark that would be an improvement on a AtVm95ml that I am using at present in a Rega P6;or if I am only going to see small gains and should wait until my budget increases. MM or MC

Cheers
 
Current arm?

Current phono stage?

What are your present Gain and Loading (impedance) choices?
 
What is it about the VM95ml that you'd like to be improved? I have one & like it but feel it would be happier to see less capacitance than the 100 pF of my phono stage.
 
If £400 is your top budget then I would say you'd probably be better of going to the upper reaches of mm like the GR 1042, 2M Bronze or AT VM5/7xx, ML/SH/SLC.
If mc is where you really want to go then I would say don't consider anything less than an OC9xML, Quintet Blue, Hana EL, or GR Eroica Lx, anything below these and its pointless going mc IMO as their lower price point makes them too compromised.
Yes, the P6 is capable of supporting a cart upto around £1k but to reap the subsequent SQ benefits you would need a decent phonostage.
 
How about a Rega Ania MC Cartridge, over your budget new but, can be found used for around £275.

Would bolt straight onto your RB330 arm and super easy to align due to the centre bolt.
 
My thinking on this is that the VM95 range - especially the ML - punches high above its weight and you may find that £ 400 new as a budget will not be enough to bring about the improvements to justify doing it. I think that price is not an especially good indicator of the quality when we are talking about the AT range of carts.

Case in point is that the Ortofon 2M Black retails around £ 550 (over your budget) while the AT VM540ML retails at around £ 229. Is the 2M black better ? I would argue its not since the Black's shibata stylus is fussier in set up and doesn't bring about a 'next level' performance leap and so i would take the 540ML over the black any day, even if the prices were reversed !

Since the VM95 range isn't a large step away from the 500 series it seems you have a giant killer on your hands, which also works well with the Rega arm. Upgrading a few hundred quid might not reap the rewards here unless you spend about £ 800 quid up.

As others have mentioned, if decide to go MC then expect you will need to spend £££ on a new phono stage to reveal its quality and suddenly your budget has more than doubled.
 
Simon s said:
My thinking on this is that the VM95 range - especially the ML - punches high above its weight and you may find that £ 400 new as a budget will not be enough to bring about the improvements to justify doing it. I think that price is not an especially good indicator of the quality when we are talking about the AT range of carts.

Case in point is that the Ortofon 2M Black retails around £ 550 (over your budget) while the AT VM540ML retails at around £ 229. Is the 2M black better ? I would argue its not since the Black's shibata stylus is fussier in set up and doesn't bring about a 'next level' performance leap and so i would take the 540ML over the black any day, even if the prices were reversed !

Since the VM95 range isn't a large step away from the 500 series it seems you have a giant killer on your hands, which also works well with the Rega arm. Upgrading a few hundred quid might not reap the rewards here unless you spend about £ 800 quid up.

As others have mentioned, if decide to go MC then expect you will need to spend £££ on a new phono stage to reveal its quality and suddenly your budget has more than doubled.
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Good info thanks.

If I'm honest i like the AtVm95ml and having never heard the step up I guess I'm just curious/upgraditus scenario.

Considered the At740ml if it is available as seen it with discounts sometimes.Not sure if it offers much over AtVm95ml?

Never really heard any quality MC cartridges so perhaps should get to a dealer to find out.
 
Sam Smith said:
Instead of a ML cartridge, does a Shibata offer much more?
Click to expand...
Haven’t heard both myself, although I’m pretty sure some here have and will be able to advise. Rumour has it the shibata is a little more forgiving in the treble, which would suit me: found the AT440mlb (now the 540ml I think?) just a touch bright.

I really like the 33EV MC, which I think that eBay store also has, but in hindsight I’d have coughed up the extra for the more advanced stylus profile of the PTG.
 
Sam Smith said:
Instead of a ML cartridge, does a Shibata offer much more?
Click to expand...
Shibata cartridges can certainly offer more surface noise, which is what I found when I used an Ortofon 2M Black on my Rega. I rather like the Rega Exact, which is the perfect height for the arm. You don’t want to go too bonkers as the Atom will very likely be a limiting factor. For a bit more than the Exact, the Ania MC is very nice.
 
Ortofon cartridges are industry standard and fit Any Turntable
Rega do not want you to fit anything but a rega cartridge
Compatibility with Rega brand
The Rega tonearms are installed for the height of the Rega cartridges, these cartridges’ height from stylus tip to the top of the cartridge mounting surface is lower than standard. Since it is vital to ensure that the cartridge base is parallel with the tonearm and the tonearm is parallel with the record surface, you will need spacers to ensure the correct setup of your Ortofon cartridge.
The OM series, the 2M series and the Cadenza series needs the tonearm to be raised 4 mm and the Quintet series need the tonearm to be raised by 5,2 mm.
We do not offer spacers for the Rega tonearms.
 
I somewhat recently moved from AT-VM95SH to AT33PTG/II which is a bit but not too much over your target price. I run a Rega P5 so should be comparable turntable style.
https://www.audioaffair.co.uk/audio...nrJCXxI4fGSOOw_KzDC020rC_4PDeRaYaAlhTEALw_wcB

While it does give a higher quality presentation, it's not a night and day difference, and somewhat hard to compare as it also involved switching to the MC section of my phono stage. Have read that the AT33PTG/II is a little warmer than typical AT (also has been written of the VM95SH).

I would recommend both of these carts at their respective price points though the 95 may be a better value proposition.
 
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Sam Smith said:
Instead of a ML cartridge, does a Shibata offer much more?
Click to expand...

In my opinion, no. It gives very slightly more detail than the ML but the trade off is that it's much fusier about alignment and record quality. Sounds good on good records and terrible on bad ones. The ML is not the most forgiving but it is better and overall just easier to live with. The ML profile also lasts ridiculously well. I'd take the ML over the Shibata any day.

If you like the AT95 I'd go with a better Audio Technica MM cartridge. Should be linear, predictable upgrade, more of the same. The better body lets you use their SLC stylus profile and it's amazing.

My wild card suggestion would be the Rega Exact. There is just something about this cartridge. It's not the most detailed and not as tight at the top and bottom as some others, even in its price range, but good grief is it musical. It has body and tonality missing from most cartridges at any price. I have an AT OC9XSL just now and it's a fantastic cartridge but there are still things I miss about the Exact. I wish Rega would build a better version of it, I'd join the queue.

If you can find more than £500 for a cartridge I'd upgrade the deck instead.
 
Thanks. I've heard frequently that the Exact is a good match.

I have actually felt fairly impressed with the Atom. Went recently to buy a Nova subject to a demonstration and it didn't feel that much of a step up.

I think I would probably have to go the Naim separate route but yes I can see that anything beyond Ania is getting a bit unbalanced.

Hungry Halibut said:
Shibata cartridges can certainly offer more surface noise, which is what I found when I used an Ortofon 2M Black on my Rega. I rather like the Rega Exact, which is the perfect height for the arm. You don’t want to go too bonkers as the Atom will very likely be a limiting factor. For a bit more than the Exact, the Ania MC is very nice.
Click to expand...
 
Mr Pig said:
In my opinion, no. It gives very slightly more detail than the ML but the trade off is that it's much fusier about alignment and record quality. Sounds good on good records and terrible on bad ones. The ML is not the most forgiving but it is better and overall just easier to live with. The ML profile also lasts ridiculously well. I'd take the ML over the Shibata any day.

If you like the AT95 I'd go with a better Audio Technica MM cartridge. Should be linear, predictable upgrade, more of the same. The better body lets you use their SLC stylus profile and it's amazing.

My wild card suggestion would be the Rega Exact. There is just something about this cartridge. It's not the most detailed and not as tight at the top and bottom as some others, even in its price range, but good grief is it musical. It has body and tonality missing from most cartridges at any price. I have an AT OC9XSL just now and it's a fantastic cartridge but there are still things I miss about the Exact. I wish Rega would build a better version of it, I'd join the queue.

If you can find more than £500 for a cartridge I'd upgrade the deck instead.
Click to expand...

Ha, only just got the P6, that might be a step to far as just mounted it a Rega bracket. Which incidentally I found was a notable improvement.

AT OC9XSL or exact if they were the same price? Just for curiosity sake.
 
Sam Smith said:
...yes I can see that anything beyond Ania is getting a bit unbalanced.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can run a MC on an RB300 on an old Planar3 and it will work but an LP12 with a basic Audio Technica MM cart will kill it. The turntable lays the foundation and limit for sound quality. The cart just changes the flavour a bit.
 
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