Rega Exact on a Rega P5 - opinions?

I had a Rega Exact on my Rega P25 for quite a while. I bought it used on the A'gon and then sold it later on A'gon as I was satisfied with my replacement cart.

First, I liked the Exact. It was warm sounding and generally a nice match. However, I replaced it with a Denon DL 103R and found that the Rega sounded veiled compared to the Denon. Which I guess can be said when comparing any MM cart to a low output MC cart.

After I had lived with the Denon for a few weeks I went back to the Exact just to compare. I planned on using the Exact for a week or so before going back to the Denon. However, I couldn't make it past day two. I went back to the Denon and put the Exact on the market.

The Denon DL103R is a low output MC so you need a good phonostage with plenty of gain (55 to 60 as a min) or you'll need a transformer to boost the signle of the Denon. You can order the Denon from www.audiocubesII.com in Japan for $259 shipped. It's a great buy. And I didn't need any VTA adjustment for the Denon it's just about perfect at the stock Rega height.

I'm testing an Audio Technica OC9ML cartridge right now. It's been getting rave reviews just like the Denon and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I like it quite a lot, but I've only had it two days. It's higher output than the Denon (.28mV for the Denon and .4mV for the AT) but you still need plenty of gain. Again with the AT I didn't have to change my VTA. The cartridge is slightly tail high without any VTA changes or adjusters added to the P25. The AT OC9ML/II is about $350.

All in all, I'd have to say you can do better than the Exact for similar or less money.

Paul Green

The Exact isnt very good. It's dynamic but shrill as hell. You'll do better with a Clearaudio or Grado.

Thanks again for all the responses.

Seandtaylor99: Actually I've found the VR-1's to be a good match to the Musical Fidelity. The A300's top end is anything but bright and is actually been noted to be a bit too subtle for some listeners. I found this to be the case with other speakers I tried that had a more "laid back" treble response.

The RB700 tonearm on the P5 has a totally different arm-mounting system than prior Rega tonearms - it's got a triangle shaped flange at the base of the arm that screws to the plinth at 3 points. Rega's attempt at keeping all the aftermarket modifications in check I suppose.

Creativepart: Thanks so much for your response, it's been most helpful. I've read some great things about the Denon DL103R cartridge. I've never used a MC cartridge before and am sure I'd need to also purchase a transformer to boost the signal. Any suggestions on that? Here are the specs from the phonostage on the A300 integrated:

Input sensitivity (MM input) 3.5mV
Input sensitivity (MC inputs) 350uV
S/N Ratio (MM) > 78dB ‘A’ weighted (Ref 1W)
82dB ‘A’ weighted (Ref 150W)
S/N Ratio (MC) > 70dB ‘A’ weighted (Ref 1W)
73dB ‘A’ weighted (Ref 150W)

Thanks again everyone - I'm getting some great information here!

Sunsetsuperman: Ooops, forgot to respond to your suggestions! Sorry about that. I really like the Grado's sound but had a horrible time with hum on my old P3 when I had it set up with the Grado Reference - not something I want to revisit. Do you know if the Clearaudio carts would require VTA adjustment on the Rega?

I would get different size Rega spacers and get one of the recommended cartridges. Previously I had a Rega Elys on a P3 (sorry can't compare to the exact) and replaced it with the basic Denon DL103, better bass, more detail, more live. The DL103R is another step up from the basic version.

Another option to consider is the Kontrapunkt A which can be found on Agon for around $400 and from Needle Doctor for a similar price. Look at some of my recent responses in Viggen's system and my system for a very basic comparison.

Both the Ortofon and the Denon require spacers for vta. And both require a good MC phono stage. For MM you could try the really cheap DL160 high output MC. You might get surprised how good a $150 cartridge can be.