Poor sounding analog?

The Elys 2 is not a great cartridge, having owned one. But it does need break-in time and typically will sound very open and bright. The RP3 is an easy setup, so I would agree with the others to check the preamp settings; MM at 47K and capacitance between 100 and 300pF.

BTW, is your tonearm parallel to the record when playing?

Sarcher is correct. Verify that you have the table connected to the MM phono input and that you have set the correct capacitance for the tonearm/cartridge combo. Impedance on the MM input is fixed at 47K ohms.

My C2300 sounded magical with even with my antique Pioneer PL15D / Ortofon 2M Red right out of the box. It only got better with break-in and was immediately equal or superior to digital sources.

If you still have concerns after checking connections and preamp trim, then it's time for a chat with the turntable vendor regarding cartridge set-up and / or a possible warranty claim.

I also have a Rega RP3. It the elys2 cart sounds very nice on new albums but Is not very good on older albums that have been played a bit and it also is not a great tracker.. I am in the process of picking a new cartridge.

Best of luck
Dan

Excellent suggestions already posted above. Try a few more albums. Which one sounded poorly? Not all LPs are well recorded, as I'm sure you're aware. This is especially true in the rock genre, IMHO. In fact, there are lots of LPs from 25 and more years ago that will sound pretty terrible --- then and now --- even on a fine turntable.

Grado offers biggest musical bang for the buck in a MM. Give the Grado Black or the Grado Gold a try if you are missing mid range magic and it isn't a setup error.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Grado-Black1-Prestige-Series-Phono-Cartridges?sc=2&category=893

The tubes in your pre section are important... most recent vintage pre tubes are junk for music playback. Any idea what brand and type they are?