new Rega Ania Pro MC cartridge

[DimitryZ]

In general tables have improved over the past 50 years to today. Material sciences, refinement of designs, technology, etc. An lp12 from today embarrasses one from 1980. A planar 3 from today bears no resemblance in sonic performance to one from 1992. The technics 1200 gae is leagues above a 1200 Mk 2, 3, etc. Just look at the materials involved, the motor, power supply, and if you must, measurements. They don't lie either even if they aren't the whole story.

By the same token there are far more options available today at all price ranges. You can get a uturn orbit for $180 usf which is much better than a dual 505 from 1985 which would be probably $500 in present day dollars, and by the same token there are likely 10 tables available at over 100k, when in the mid 90s I can only name the Rockport serius as the only table a table which was priced over 50k. I might have forgotten.

There have always been some great tables. It's not like dacs that don't even bear a faint resemblance from one generation to the next. Gerrard, microseiki, Sony, so many others..... Made some great tables and vinyl replay is always pleasing.

But yes, to agree with Mr. Pig, it's tough to argue that in general the state of turntable design hasn't progressed. It has. All designers would agree with this too. Some made today might scrimp on materials and do things too cheaply. But on the whole, on average, in general, things are better designed and built today.

From an actual mechanical engineering standpoint, state of turntable design is frozen in the 1950s, with very rare exceptions in the motor power supply electronics.

Rega and Linn are identical in their mechanical design to the simplest of turntables made in the 1950s. In terms of materials engineering and parts quality, they are considerably better. They sound excellent.

The superdecks from late 70s and 80s used actual legit better mechanical engineering technology, but their materials choices were limited to what was commonly available then. They also sound excellent.

Most people today don't have good examples in their systems to directly compare. Audiophiles have fallen under a marketing push to convince them that DD and automatic operation is BAD for sound. The reason behind the campaign was a simple fact that audiophile companies could not produce anything other than a rudimentary belt driven table with a passive arm.

 

[Craig B]

You can get a uturn orbit for $180 usf which is much better than a dual 505 from 1985 which would be probably $500 in present day dollars...

Not 'probably' but that and more, Jeff, as Dual Platenspieler 505-4 retailed for £599 in the UK as recently as last year. Not sure what 'Dual CS 505-4 Final Edition' will be price at, but I image it to be worth, at most, 1/3rd of last years RRP! It must be difficult to keep the price down on parts count alone, when they can't be producing anything like the numbers of units of old.

The plinth on 'Final Edition' does look quite retro early to mid '70s though...

 

[Mr Pig]

My first 'proper' turntable was a Dual 505 MkII Deluxe. The Ortofon cartridge got swapped very quickly but when I bought a Planar3/RB300 a few months later the difference was shocking.

 

[Craig B]

You must have been reading Hi-Fi Answers back then too, Colin.

I wonder how many 505 decks sold in the 80s alone?

 

[Mr Pig]

I wonder how many 505 decks sold in the 80s alone?

When you read the Hi-Fi press the Dual was fairly universally recommended as the cheapest turntable that offered real Hi-Fi. There were a few others mentioned, mostly Jap decks, and then of course the Rega 2 and 3 but the Dual had one big advantage. You could actually find one!

At that time, Rega had less than fifty dealers. The Dual was everywhere from Hi-Fi Corner to Laskys. Wherever you lived you could just go out and buy one.

When Stereo Stereo opened in Glasgow with Linn, Naim and Rega on their books I was in there like a shot. Even then you had to wait for a Planar as production struggled to match demand but that only added to the mystique. And the wait was totally worth it. It's worth mentioning that the Planar 2 only cost about £20 more than the 505 which just made the sonic humiliation of the Dual worse. The Dual didn't sound too bad as long as you didn't shine to bright a light on it. Through my little Yamaha amp and Wharfdale Diamond speakers it was ok but when I traded it in, they played it through a naim amp and kans. It sounded absolutely terrible while in the same system the Rega sounded like music.

The 505 was a turntable for people who didn't know any better, just bought what was in their local shop or couldn't afford to look any higher. Personally, I don't even consider it real Hi-Fi.

 

[Craig B]

I remember the Planar 2/RB250 being listed at $115. in the UK press for quite some time during the '80s. One had to spring for a cartridge on top, but one could get the likes of AT110E on for beer money back then. The AT95E was yet to take off on the back of AT93/'Yellow' Basik success. Happy days.

 

[wiresandmore]

I remember paying £188 for my Planar 3 in 1988/9; at the time the Planar 2 was £135 - that £53 was a massive step up for a student in those days but well worth it..!

 

[Mr Pig]

I remember paying £188 for my Planar 3 in 1988..

I remember them going up to that price. I bought my Planar3/RB300 for about £164 I think it was. I can't remember what the Planar2 cost but the Dual 505 mkII Deluxe was £120 so basically the same sort of price as the Planar2. Which is ridiculous.

When I sold my Planar3 I got back what I paid for it. Now, a clean one will cost you more than they cost new thirty years ago!

 

[linnfomaniac83]

I remember them going up to that price. I bought my Planar3/RB300 for about £164 I think it was. I can't remember what the Planar2 cost but the Dual 505 mkII Deluxe was £120 so basically the same sort of price as the Planar2. Which is ridiculous.

When I sold my Planar3 I got back what I paid for it. Now, a clean one will cost you more than they cost new thirty years ago!

Rega decks hold their value because they’re highly dependable, if it has an RB250/300 or above, it’s extremely unlikely to have any problems unless it’s been beaten up. I’d say a mint original Planar 3/RB300 for under £200 is a pretty solid buy, especially if it’s in the ever cool looking brushed black finish!

 

[wiresandmore]

Yes, I bought mine in Westwood & Mason in Oxford, they offered full p/ex for your Rega when you upgraded to the LP12.....

 

[Mr Pig]

I’d say a mint original Planar 3/RB300 for under £200 is a pretty solid buy, especially if it’s in the ever cool looking brushed black finish!

It's my all-time favorite Hi-Fi product. I regretted selling my orogonal one so much that years later I bought another one, which I had no need for. I sold that one, because I had no need for it, and regretted selling it! So I bought yet another, which I am not going to sell. So I've had three of them.

 

[linnfomaniac83]

It's my all-time favorite Hi-Fi product. I regretted selling my orogonal one so much that years later I bought another one, which I had no need for. I sold that one, because I had no need for it, and regretted selling it! So I bought yet another, which I am not going to sell. So I've had three of them.

Haha, similar story here, I’ve had three of them. The last one I had was tragically under used and a friend was after a decent affordable deck. He’d already got a Linn Majik, LK100, Keilidhs, Karik, a Teac DAC (for streaming duties) that I’d sourced for him some years earlier, the Rega completed the package and he’s very happy with the whole setup... so although I no longer have an Original Planar 3, I do get to see and hear my last one fairly regularly. At the time I sold myself last one, I had a high spec LP12, a P2 (the mid 00s model with the MDF conical platter), the Planar 3 and two P5s, which was just bonkers.

Things have moved on and the newer Rega models are better sounding (my RP1 is absolutely remarkable for the money), but I don’t think the entry models are better looking at all, the 80s/90s Planars are really good looking decks in my opinion, especially in that lovely brushed finish, that just looks fabulous.

 

[Mr Pig]

..the 80s/90s Planars are really good looking decks in my opinion, especially in that lovely brushed finish, that just looks fabulous.

I agree. In my opinion that deck is close to a perfect product. It is pure form follows function, apart from the badging there is no part of the deck that does not perform a function, yet the result is elegant and stylish. It is solid, reliable, great sounding and excellent value. The arm is genius, cutting edge design.

It was such a good design that it still looks good thirty years later and it's no surprise it's held its value.

Also interesting is that in the eighties an LP12 with a Linn Basik arm was about three times the price of a Planar3. Today a Linn LP12 Majik is six times the price of a P3! You might say 'well, they're not the same as the old turntables' but they kinda are. The Majik LP12 is very similar to a Valhalla LP12. Some parts may be of a different design but these changes aren't ones that would increase production cost significantly and both decks wear basic Japanese made arms. The Rega has seen similar evolution rather than revolution.

 

[linnfomaniac83]

I agree. In my opinion that deck is close to a perfect product. It is pure form follows function, apart from the badging there is no part of the deck that does not perform a function, yet the result is elegant and stylish. It is solid, reliable, great sounding and excellent value. The arm is genius, cutting edge design.

It was such a good design that it still looks good thirty years later and it's no surprise it's held its value.

Also interesting is that in the eighties an LP12 with a Linn Basik arm was about three times the price of a Planar3. Today a Linn LP12 Majik is six times the price of a P3! You might say 'well, they're not the same as the old turntables' but they kinda are. The Majik LP12 is very similar to a Valhalla LP12. Some parts may be of a different design but these changes aren't ones that would increase production cost significantly and both decks wear basic Japanese made arms. The Rega has seen similar evolution rather than revolution.

I think the base level LP12 has improved since the early 80s... but so has the Planar 3, as such, I think the Planar 3 is better VFM than ever.

I still love the LP12 and actually the new Majik arm is pretty good (it’s a rebadged Jelco and Jelco know what they’re doing), but I think the LP12 needs a better PSU than the one that comes with a Majik to really come to life, and I think the Adikt holds it back a little too. For the same money, you could get the Planar 8/Apheta 3 and a decent phono stage to boot... if you were wanting to buy something and just stick with it as it comes, I think the Rega would make more sense.

The Majik LP12 is a much better deck with a Lingo 4... but now you’re at a similar price point to the Planar 10/Apheta 3, and I’m really not sure what I’d pick at that point, but I think I’d be steering towards the Planar 10, because the cartridge is now really starting to hold the LP12 back. Stick something like an Ortofon Cadenza Blue on the LP12 and I think the LP12 world start to take the lead, but then you’re heading for £5.5k, so it’s not a level playing field, and at this point, the deck would be justifying a better arm, not sure I’d want the Akito 3b, I think that’s me being neurotic because it bares no resemblance to the original Akito, it’s a totally different arm, but still I’d be tempted towards an Ekos SE... and now you can see how easy it is to get stuck on the upgrade treadmill.

I don’t actually blame the LP12 for this, I think it’s a great deck in its own right at each given level/price point, but it is what’s starting to make the higher level Rega decks more appealing to me, I do get the upgrade anxiety, and I would end up keep changing bits on my deck until I was back at SE/Klimax level, and I’d spend time thinking about it rather than just listening to my records.

 

[ppaul]

I'm looking forward to the Ania Pro vs Apheta 2 comparison, down here in Oz the Ania Pro is listed at $1499 aud and the Apheta 2 can be had at $1999 (I suspect when the Apheta 3 becomes available the 2 will be even cheaper)

 

[Mr Pig]

I don’t actually blame the LP12 for this, I think it’s a great deck in its own right at each given level/price point, but it is what’s starting to make the higher level Rega decks more appealing to me, I do get the upgrade anxiety, and I would end up keep changing bits on my deck until I was back at SE/Klimax level, and I’d spend time thinking about it rather than just listening to my records.

That's why I switched. I was fed up with my Linn and the advice I got from Linn dealers was to pour more money into it. I wanted a fit and forget turntable. Technics was recommended but I hate the way they look. Too big a shock after an LP12.

Not many people on here who don't get upgrade anxiety! Why else would we be here? ;0)

 

[linnfomaniac83]

That's why I switched. I was fed up with my Linn and the advice I got from Linn dealers was to pour more money into it. I wanted a fit and forget turntable. Technics was recommended but I hate the way they look. Too big a shock after an LP12.

Not many people on here who don't get upgrade anxiety! Why else would we be here? ;0)

The other reason to be here is because we’re geeks with at least one common interest, I’ve checked in most days for over 10 years... even when I was totally contented with my system, I still liked talking about HIFI.

Anyway, back to the Ania Pro, I’m really looking forward to hearing one of these, it could well be the ideal cartridge to get the best out my P5/Neo/GT reference, it sounded great with the original Apheta, I’d expect the Ania Pro to be at least as good given that it has the stylus, cantilever and generator assembly from the Apheta 2.

 

[rmc]

Hi, everyone. Here’s the first review I’ve seen of the Ania Pro. I can’t vouch for the reviewer, but he seems pretty credible (from his “about” page).
—
Oops, this forum isn’t letting me include the link. But you can find the review at www the-ear net, then click on “reviews.”

 

[dave charlton]

Hi, everyone. Here’s the first review I’ve seen of the Ania Pro. I can’t vouch for the reviewer, but he seems pretty credible (from his “about” page).
—
Oops, this forum isn’t letting me include the link. But you can find the review at www the-ear net, then click on “reviews.”

http://www.the-ear.net/review-hardware/rega-ania-pro-moving-coil-cartridge

 

[Mr Pig]

I wish they'd given more detail about the comparison with the Dynavector. I'd dismissed the Ania but the Anis Pro sounds more interesting.