Cartridge for Rega planar 2

Try a Goldring 1042. It is an MM cartridge and will be good with your phono preamp.

The belt replacement can be done by a child. About 30 seconds time.

As far as a "general tighening up", there's not much to tighten up on a Planar 2. Just don't make the arm nut too tight, because it will detract from the sound. Finger tight is best on the Rega arm nut that holds the arm on under the plinth.

I could recommend that you drop down to the lower Goldring models like the 1022 or 1012GX. They all use the same motor assembly, and the only difference are the styli. You could upgrade to the 1042 later, simply by replacing the stylus assembly, which is user replaceable. But the 1042 stylus is over $200.

I'm not sure if the gain in your Nait will handle the hi-output MC cartridge output levels. They are significantly lower than MM, and some preamps don't do well with them. Also, most of them are more than $200.

Overall, the best MM cartrides under $350 are the Goldrings, in my opinion. Even the lower models are quite good. Stay away from the under $100 cheapies. If you pick any one from the 1012GX to the 1042, you'll be doing fine.

I haven't tried the Garrott cartridges, so I can't say anything about them one way or the other. The Denon DL160 is a pretty good cartridge, but I prefer the Denon MC cartridges from that line.

I don't think you could go wrong with a Goldring on that rig, for the money you want to spend.

Well, you caught me. I thought the DL160 was an MM cartridge, but it is a high output MC.

Since your dealer seems to think the Nait 3 will take the high output MC cartridges, and 2juki has the Dynavector for $215, I think that is a good choice. The DL160 is also a good cartridge that many like. I guess I should have said that I prefer the DL103 series low output MC line in the Denon brand best.

About the 1006, it is about the bottom of the useable Goldring lineup. Not bad, but not as good as the others.

The 1042 is actually better than the Eroica. Not just my opinion. Check the reviews by TNT, and others about the comparisons between the 1042 and the Goldring MC cartridges. Goldring has been making very fine MM cartridges for years, and that is their strength. They have only recently started with MC cartridges, and their MMs are still better. So far. The 1042 is smooth on top, with no exaggerated treble. It is a British cartridge, so that should answer the PRAT question. Both Linn and Audio Note re-label the 1042 for their in-house brand cartridges, the Adikt and one of the IQ models, respectively.

If you want to try high output MC, the Dynavector is the way to go. That is a real good value cartridge, and has been very popular for years.

It's a tough call between them. They are both real good, and you won't be disappointed with either of them. They were both made to compete in the same price range, and they were both considered at the top of the list for that price.