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Rega P25 cartridge upgrade

Hi all, 

I would appreciate your advice and opinions regarding a cartridge upgrade for my Rega P25.

My current system:
- Rega P25 with Grado Prestige Gold.
- Marantz PM6004 
- Neat Iota speakers (http://neatacoustics.com/iota/)

I listen to a broad range of music from electronic to jazz to rock.

The Grado Gold came with the Rega when I bought it used a few years back and unfortunately the stylus appears to have been bent during a recent house move (dont ask...). I thought it would therefore be a good time to upgrade the cartridge. 

I'm using the phono stage on the Marantz amp which is listed as only compatible with MM. Music is important to me and I'm keen for a great sound but dont think I've got time to get lost in exploring MCs and phono stages etc currently so feel like a good quality MM would be sufficient. Looking to spend £200-300 max.

A few potential options I've discovered:

- Ortofon 2M Black
- Goldring 1042.

Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. 

Thanks

Thom
thomlocke

Showing 3 responses by mofimadness

mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,724 posts
 
So what is special about that Rega cartridges

+1  I agree.  I was a Rega dealer for many years, (I've set up hundreds of Rega tables and arms) and really like all their gear...except the cartridges.  I gave up on those over 30 years ago.  I find that they are nothing special and seem overpriced compared to what else is out there.

Sorry, HUGE Rega fan here, but not the carts...
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,724 posts
 
I have a fully modded/upgraded/updated Rega P25 that has every aftermarket mod/upgrade that I know of. It’s a fantastic table and I use it quite a bit, (I have several to choose from).

I have tried numerous carts on this rig:

Audio Technica AT-150MLX
Grace F9E & F9E Ruby
Dynavector 10X5
Ortofon 2M Bronze & 2M Black
Denon DL-110 & DL160
Grado Reference Sonata

plus a few more.

The one that I liked the best and is still on the arm is the Audio Technica AT-150MLX. What a GREAT combo with the table and arm. Most of the carts listed above were terrific, but overall, I had to pick the AT, just a personal preference of course...


mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,724 posts
 
 But with no VTA I just didn't want to experiment with other cartridges and deal with shims. It seemed to be a big PIA. My thought was that with the OP's modest system the simplicity of a Rega cartridge was the way to go.

Good point!  
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