paul darwin
pfm Member
Trick Cyclist, for clarification both the Planar 3 and the Planar 6 have a RB330 tonearm fitted as standard but the Planar 6 comes with the stainless steel counterweight.
Rega Planar 3 2016 worthwhile upgrades
- Thread starter Allaboutmusic
- Start date
trick cyclist
pfm Member
Ah thanks, my bad 
trick cyclist
pfm Member
@paul darwin does the current vta shim sold by rega fit the RB330, as my cartridge is taller than a rega one, and I want to fit a 5mm achromat?
paul darwin
pfm Member
Yes, but I doubt you would need one or hear any discernable difference due to VTA across different thickness records over the standard supplied mat (I stress VTA - not happy to open the different mat can of worms) as I'm guessing the clue is in the name and it is a mat
trick cyclist
pfm Member
Thanks, certainly not planning on opening a mat debate, just finding that the deck does not currently sound 'right' with a tall cart and a thicker mat than standard. I could try backing the vtf off a bit i guess as an experiment in the meantime...Yes, but I doubt you would need one or hear any discernable difference due to VTA across different thickness records over the standard supplied mat (I stress VTA - not happy to open the different mat can of worms) as I'm guessing the clue is in the name and it is a mat
paul darwin
pfm Member
Which cartridge ?
Why a 5mm one? A 3mm one will be close enough to the standard thick felt one.
I had a 5mm Achromat for my LP12. I liked some of what it did but ultimately went back to felt. Importantly, I don't think the sound of the Achromat would suit a Rega deck. Just my opinion.
A shim only lifts the arm by 2mm and in my opinion it's just not worth it. I've got about half a dozen shims here, I have used them, but unless your cart is huge I wouldn't bother.
BlueYeti
pfm Member
@trick cyclist My recommendation - stick to the felt mat. I tried a 3mm Achromat on my RP6 for a couple of months but went back to the original felt mat.
trick cyclist
pfm Member
Apologies to the OP for the thread hijack, but to answer the questions posed above, the cartridge is a Hana ML, which is 2mm taller than a standard Rega cartridge; I have it installed now at the recommended vtf of 2g, and it sounds great using the standard felt mat.
I also possess a 5mm Achromat from a previous TT, that I have tried out, which does leave the arm quite tail down, and made the sound not as clear and a little wooly. That may be the Achromat, or it could be VTA, or something else, I'm up for experimenting, as I have it here.
I also possess a 5mm Achromat from a previous TT, that I have tried out, which does leave the arm quite tail down, and made the sound not as clear and a little wooly. That may be the Achromat, or it could be VTA, or something else, I'm up for experimenting, as I have it here.
trick cyclist
pfm Member
Have to say though, there is one certain advantage to using the felt mat that I had forgotten about since not owning a Rega for a while; the ability to just pick a record up and flip it over to play the other side without stopping the motor, a great source of joy, and no popping through the speakers each time the neo is switched on again!
I've never use a belt drive deck any other way.
Craig B
Re:trophile
For the record (tee-hee), your +3mm Acromat thickness difference relative to standard 2mm Rega felt will result in a 0.66º change in VTA.
Altering VTF will affect VTA/SRA far more than will a 2mm spacer. According to Rega's investigations, a 0.1g change in downforce will result in a circa 1.5º change in VTA at the cantilever with normal cartridges. This would equate to changing the height at the back of the tonearm by circa 6mm.