Recommend me a cartridge for my Rega Planar 3 turntable

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beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
I've been enjoying my RP3 for a few months now and I'm convinced vinyl is the way to go.  However, when it comes to the technicalities, I'm a complete noob.  I've heard about how cartridges play an important part in the overall sound so I thought I'd look into making an upgrade. Problem is I don't know where to start.  Also, I have no idea what the current cartridge is.  All I can say is that it's grey and has no brand marking. Sounds fine nevertheless.

I'm running it through a NAD 3020e amp and Mordaunt Short MS5 speakers (nowt special but aren't bad).  My budget is £50ish or so quid. Bearing all that in mind, has anyone got any ideas?
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Comments

  • Axe_meisterAxe_meister Frets: 4612
    Is your current cartridge moving magnet or moving coil?
    If you can replace the stylus then it's probably moving magnet.

    Anything by Shure is good (but some big prices)
    also pick a budget in Audio Technica line some good stuff there, even the cheap green one
    aint half bad. I use one on my Linn LP12 
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    Nagaoka MP110 about £80, I have just put one on my Planer 3. I have been using Denon DL110 Moving Coil cartridges for the past few years but as they cost about £150 now they have got out of my price range. The Nagaoka is performing superbly, and imo sounds as good as the Denon, a different type of sound but just as good. I have it tracking at about 1.8g.

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  • RobDaviesRobDavies Frets: 3062
    Goldring 2100 is very highly rated. That's my next purchase... Currently using the aforementioned AT 95e (the green one) and it's not bad.... But not blowing me away....
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited June 2014
    If you're going goldring, try to get the 2500 or at least the 2400 - you can get an ex demo (like 50 hours' use) for the same price as a new 2100. It's fabulous. Otherwise the black ortofon is good. Edit - just seen your budget. The red ortofon might be cheap enough, or the Audio Technicas.

    Btw you record chaps, I recommend the "trackmate" - it's a cleaner that sits on the spindle and you basically wind it round the record.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    Just occurred to me, if you want something really cheap you could try the new Rega Carbon, I think it's about £25. No idea what it sounds like, I might be wrong but I think I read somewhere it's a tweaked AT95.
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    Thanks lads.  I'll do my homework on suggested cartridges and might wait until I can plump for something more upmarket.  Btw, what's the difference between moving magnet and moving coil?  I'm pretty certain mine is the former.
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  • Axe_meisterAxe_meister Frets: 4612
    Generally you can't change the needle on a moving coil.
    Biggest difference is output impedance. Your phono pre-amp will need to support it otherwise you won't hear much.
    Some say they sound better and extract mo're detail.
    I'm got an old Shure one somewhere with a broken needle but £300 to fix is just not worth it for me.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    My ex sis in law used go work for Shure. Used to get cartridges and stylii for nothing. Sadly she's long gone. :-(
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    Most moving magnet cartridges you can change the stylus, notable exceptions are the Rega Bias, Elys & Exact cartridges. As @Axe_meister says you can't change the stylus on moving coils, which is why I have stopped using the Denon DL110, when I bought my first one in 2008 it was £55, 3 years later £136 now £155. The Denon is good because it is a high output moving coil and you can use it with the normal phono input on your amp, you just have turn the vol up a tad. The Denon has a very detailed sound and tracks really well, very low surface noise but I have to say the Nagaoka I am using sounds almost as good and in some ways better and has very low surface noise. The big bonus is the stylus replacement only costs £50.

    Remember what ever you get will need approximately 20-30 hours use to run in, during this time the sound will change subtly (in some cases dramatically).


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  • AllyAlly Frets: 64

    I've used Rega cartridges on my Plannar 3 with no issues. Very capable. Had the bias2 which is a fraction over your budget, but if you can stretch it a bit then you'll have far more choice; Silly to say I guess as that's the same with everything. The Elys2 is fitting and goes well with a Plannar 3.

     

    Good to see you're enjoying vinyl.

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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    Cheers.  To be honest, I have no idea what's already on it.  It might even be a Rega cartridge for all I know.  I'll have to check when I get back home.
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    I may not need to upgrade just yet after all. Just got back home and checked the cartridge.  It's definitely a Rega but not sure which.  All there is to go on is that it's grey.  Any ideas?
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    Post a photo of it, I'm sure one of us will know what it is:-)
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    As soon as I find the bloody adapter for my XD memory card, I'll do that.
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    @stevenew here are photo's of said Rega cartridge.  Are you or anyone else able to identify it? Just to satisfy my curiosity more than anything else cos I'm guessing an upgrade isn't necessarily needed now.

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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    It's a Rega cartridge, with that 3 point fixing, not sure of the model, they don't make a grey bodied one anymore. Could be a early Elys. You will not able to replace the stylus on it.
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    It could be an original Exact, I think they were grey.
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    The only grey bodied one on their website is the RB78 - a version on the Bias with a stylus shaped to replay 78s...
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    Well bloody hell if it's an Exact.  Just seen the price of them - I paid £195 for the overall deck!

    If it's an early Elys, then that suits me for now.

    As for the RB78, isn't it designed to play mono only?

    Either way, it's sounds pretty good to me and I'm currently enjoying listening to The Beatles. 

    I love vinyl.
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  • stevenewstevenew Frets: 38
    edited June 2014
    The RB78 is only a 2 point fixing as is the Bias. The very first Rega cartridges the R100 was a different design, the RB100 is similar to the recent cartridges, but I think it was all black. 
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