Glad to hear, that third party options are great. There is a pretty good deal on a slightly used ZYX R100 and I might go with that. I also saw on the Rega website that they discourage shims and VTA adjustments don't make that much of a difference.
Opinions on Rega Apheta 3 or 2?
I recently got a good deal on a Rega Planar 8 and I'm now looking to outfit it with a cartridge. The guy who sold me the turntable has suggested Clearaudio Charisma v2 or
ZYX R100 Yatra H. Due to Rega not having a VTA adjustment, I'm leaning towards the Apheta line instead. Has anyone had any experience with any of the mentioned cartridges and I'm also welcome to other recommendations. I have a tavish adagio for a phono stage and both my my preamp and amp are tube based.