If you stick with the Elys 2 because you want to do upgrades later, you may find yourself looking at bigger upgrades than the Exact. You may decide you want moving coil instead of mm and then consider the Rega Ania. If that turns out to be the case, as it was for me, then you might want to skip the Rega Planar 3 altogether and think about the Planar 6 with the Ania included. It doubles the cost, but at the end of your upgrade path you have a P6 instead of a P3 as your base turntable. By the time I finished upgrading my planar 3, I realized I could have owned a planar 6 for the same money. Although I am not unhappy with my upgraded Planar 3, it wasn’t the wisest way to do things.
Rega Planar 3: Is the Exact a significant upgrade from the Elys 2?
I understand that not everyone loves belt drive turntables or Regas but I have an opportunity to buy a new Planar 3 with the Elys 2 for a really good price or a new Planar 3 with the Exact 2 for a few hundred more.
Is the Exact such a significant upgrade over the Elys that it’s worth paying $300 more for a table with it? Or would it be smarter to get the cheaper one with the Elys 2 and choose another upgrade path for the cartridge in the future?
Is the Exact such a significant upgrade over the Elys that it’s worth paying $300 more for a table with it? Or would it be smarter to get the cheaper one with the Elys 2 and choose another upgrade path for the cartridge in the future?