MM Cartridge to MC Cartridge


Hi All. First post. I’m thinking about moving from a MM cartridge to an MC cartridge. I hesitate a bit, because about a year ago I moved from an inexpensive MM cartridge to an expensive MM cartridge and noticed little difference. My vinyl system consists of:

Rega Planar P3 with Rega Exact Mk 2 cartridge 

McIntosh MP100 phono preamp

McIntosh MA252 integrated amp

Budget is less than $1k. Thinking Rega Ania MC cartridge because reviews are positive and install easy.

Do you think this change will be worthwhile? Suggestions?

-Doug

prufrock28

In order to maximize the upgrade, I would recommend making sure it has an advanced stylus shape (line contact) as opposed to elliptical. 

Thanks. I’m chuckling to myself right now because I’m so out-to-sea that I have no idea what a line contact stylus is. Advantages?

Rega makes it simple for you to go up their line of cartridges. Set up is a breeze. Detour to a different brand and now you’re pretty much stuck scratching your head trying to figure out whether or not the cartridge height will match, how to set overhang properly, etc. unless you have Rega spacers and a good protractor. 

Upscale Audio folks have data on cartridges that work well with Rega tables if you want to venture outside the Rega line up, Ask about Hana ML. If it works, that’s the cart I’d recommend. It’s a great sounding pickup and works well with MP100 phono amp. 

To update, I just replaced the Rega Exact 2 MM with a Rega Ania Pro MC.

Wow… I know some might say the Rega P3 is a bit overmatched by this cartridge, and perhaps it is. I’ll call that a sidebar in light of the dramatic improvement in performance. I’m blown away by the better sound across the entire range, and in particular the warmth and clarity of lows. I expected a listenable difference, but overjoyed by the value delivered. Thanks to everyone for their input.