I agree that the 3600 is more enjoyable than it has any right to be for the money. In my opinion though if you change the stylus, and presumably the plastic cantilever, it's not a 3600 any more as I think it's those two things that give it its sound. Cheap AT carts with alloy cantilevers sound quite different.
New Rega Nd7 Moving Magnet cartridge
- Thread starter pfbaat
- Start date
Hazelberry
sister
Others elsewhere on the net agree about the CF cantilever. If you look closely you'll see it's even tapered. The Vivid Line stylus I have has an aluminium cantilever, & to be honest I'd not buy another. Finding a finely cut stone is bonded annoys me beyond words. If I were to get serious I'd see if the CF cantilever can be retipped with a nice nude diamond!
Well if you can find someone who can stop laughing long enough I'm sure they'd take your money.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Unusually, perhaps, no I wasn't; just genuinely surprised by your comments but not challenging them at all. I did say I was unaware where Rega were today but they've always been at the forefront of British hifi engineering. Were SME arms not cast? I've no idea, nor that this method was a leap ahead in tonearm technology.
You mis-read or misunderstood 'donkey's years'; it mean a long time, not a negative comment on quality. No idea what the best arms in the world are as this would depend upon too many factors, not least compatibility with the cart's they suit.
Your reply would suggest I have an axe to grind re. Rega; I haven't; I respect the company as others do
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Hazelberry
sister
Why do you think a retipper would be scornful at being asked if a 3600 can be retipped yes or no? How is it different to any other cartridge?
Hazelberry
sister
I don't know, just thinking out loud. I'm not a retipper & don't know much about it. I do know that cantilevers can be reused. I have a Jico SAS where the diamond appears to be glued directly to a very skinny boron cantilever.
Also, why does a cartridge/stylus in a humble price range make a poor choice for retipping? Humble price need not mean humble performance, & I prefer the 3600 to some much more expensive cartridges. The Vivid Line stylus proves to me that it's worthy of a good tip.
Hazelberry
sister
I'm very happy to be corrected, but in my limited understanding, carbon fibre must be in a matrix to be actually useful. I'd expect the 3600s cantilever to have a polymer matrix of some sort?
Robert
Tapehead
There is elliptical, and then there's elliptical - which is why we should have the tip specs.
The Ogura 'Vital' profile used on the Exact has a 5um minor radius which in old money is a hyper-elliptical. Better on IGD than standard tips which are usually 8um.
Hopefully this (or something close) is being used on the ND5.
kristoffer
Danish Hi Fi NERD
I wonder if the ND7 will be worth the 150 pounds (rumoured) more compared to the ND5.
gavreid
Pretty Words...
I don't know how you'd judge that but they needed a better MM in the range than the Exact given the advancement in the decks.
Ptah
pfm Member
I think there's a mistake in the pricing.
The P6 is £1215.
The ND7 is listed at £450.
The P6/ND7 bundle is listed at £1675 - putting the ND7 part at £460.
I suspect the ND7 should be selling at £495, £200 more than the ND5.
The P6 is £1215.
The ND7 is listed at £450.
The P6/ND7 bundle is listed at £1675 - putting the ND7 part at £460.
I suspect the ND7 should be selling at £495, £200 more than the ND5.
Ptah
pfm Member
I like the Exact on my P3/50, but it would be odd if ten years of development hadn't produced an improvement.
gavreid
Pretty Words...
I'd anticipated around the £500 mark too
It costs twenty quid, tracks at three grams and has a plastic cantilever!
Rega were the first company to cast the entire tube, headshell and bearing boss in one piece. It was a huge leap forward, at the time it was considered impossible, and it's the reason Rega arms are such amazing value and performance.
While Rega's current arms are better than original ones, the old guys are still very good and still competitive.
kristoffer
Danish Hi Fi NERD
ND5 review. Unfortunately no comparison to the outgoing Exact or any mention of IGD. https://the-ear.net/review-hardware/rega-nd5-moves-the-mm-goal-posts/
krenzler
pfm Member
"I was a little concerned about over tightening and stripping the threads but Rega says that these are good for more than the 0.4nM provided by their cartridge torque driver, and tell me that they have gone as far as 1.5nM before something gave out. And that something was the hex head of the bolt rather than the cartridge body."
No need to worry about that then I guess.
No need to worry about that then I guess.
