Rega P5 W/RB700 Cartridge Match / Mate ?

I have an Exact 2 on my P5/RB700, and after the break-in period, I have no complaints. It sounds great, especially compared to others at that price point - don't think you could do better for the money.

08-02-08: Learsfool
I have an Exact 2 on my P5/RB700, and after the break-in period, I have no complaints. It sounds great, especially compared to others at that price point - don't think you could do better for the money.

It doesn't have Rega's nifty 3-point mounting/alignment system, but at $259, IMO the Audio Technica AT150MLX is serious competition for the Exact, and unlike the Exact, you can replace the stylus for $179.95.

Still, I agree with you that once it's broken in, the Exact has a very musical, enjoyable presentation and is of course an ideal match with the RB series tonearms.

Johnny and Lears,

My Exact has been mounted on both a stock RB300 and a modified RB250 on tables from Acoustic Solid and Transrotor, respectively. In both cases I used the 3 point mount to set overhang. The phonostage is a Rhea which allows optimal loading which I made some effort to identify. I'm pretty confident that this set up was a very good fit for this cart, but that is not to say that it was, by any means, perfect. It was, however, the best I could do in my system, and that is probably more than most as the arms are a natural fit (both from Rega) and because the Rhea is unusually flexible in this regard.

IME the sound was on the "dry" side compared to 4 other carts I've used extensively over the past 3 years - The Graham Nightingale and Lyra Dorian which are both much more expensive than the Rega, and an unidentified OEM Ortofon HOMC that came with the TR table as well as a Clearaudio Wood. In my various set ups, the Rega was the most analytical sounding cart of the lot.

I want to note it is a good sounding unit. But I differ with both of your opinions on this one: For my taste, the Ortofon is a better value because the Rega was a bit too analytical. This is my taste and my experience - certainly not the last word on the subject because, as always, YMMV.

Marty

Bear in mind that by the time you approach your $1k limit on the cart, you'd probably be better off upgrading the table/arm.

Martykl, I don't dispute or doubt for a moment that you heard what you heard. I wrote what I wrote to indicate that although the Exact might be detailed and analytical to some, and in many situations, I heard it in a setup where it sounded detailed but lush. That doesn't mean it sounds predominantly lush, only that it *can* sound lush.