Rega Exact on a Rega P5 - opinions?

You can get a Goldring 1042 for a lot less than $350 if you order direct from the UK http://www.mantra-audio.co.uk/ and use the Rega as a trade-in.

I can't answer your question directly, but my past experience has been that rega's own cartridges are not too bad, but certainly not up with the best at their price point.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the 1042 was better than the exact, and direct from the UK costs about 1/2 the price.

Thanks - yes, I've been able to find the 1042 for around $300 or so and the Exact around $350. I guess I'm just curious as to how it would compare to the Exact and if it would really be an "upgrade".

I'd also be faced with purchasing spacers for the RB-700 in order to get the VTA correct with the 1042. I've not seen any VTA adjustment options for the RB-700 short of the Rega OEM spacers due to the new mounting system.

With musical fidelity and VR1 monitors I'm guessing that your system perhaps errs towards the brighter side of neutral ? Excuse me if I'm wrong.

One thing I have liked about the rega cartridges is that they certainly are anything but bright and they have good bass. I have also heard comments from some quarters that the goldrings might be a little on the bright side.

Putting that and the VTA issue together might make me lean towards the rega exact. Check on ebay first as there's a seller in hong kong who regularly hawks new rega carts. and he has excellent feedback.

I have a planar 3 and currently an old Linn K9. I had to raise the arm 2-3 mm to use the K9 and I did it by buying 1" internal diameter machine washers from my local hardware store. It cost < $1 and seems to work perfectly OK. I'm not sure it would work for you, and the P5 is certainly well above P3 level, but I just thought I'd throw out the suggestion. I balked at spending $25 for a glorified washer from a rega dealer. Another option for a spacer is to get a piece of acrylic made with a hole cut ... very cheap from a local hardware or plastics store.

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.