benricci
Super Member
The Ortofon Red is a downward move from what he already has, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend that at all.
Also the photo of the anti-skate setting is not his — he was just showing an example of his tone arm.
Also the photo of the anti-skate setting is not his — he was just showing an example of his tone arm.
J A
Active Member
I have my anti-skate set at 1 currently and the tracking force ~1.25. I'm on the hunt for one of the Stylus replacements that were mentioned. Seem pretty easy to find, just may have to wait a week or so to pull the trigger.
Also, I kind of liked the AR-93s but I haven't heard a ton of speakers, just these and my Polk 7c. I am always looking for a good deal to upgrade though. Would love to find something nice but needing to be cleaned up.
Also, I kind of liked the AR-93s but I haven't heard a ton of speakers, just these and my Polk 7c. I am always looking for a good deal to upgrade though. Would love to find something nice but needing to be cleaned up.
tube-a-lou
Addicted Member
. I was thinking they were pretty nice. I got them from a local audiophile and he fully restored them and then gave them to me for a bargain. Really good guy.
Stylus20, or even 30, for your OM will be the best easy solution. The Stylus20 is a nude elliptical, easy to set up, and a fine all-around performer. The Stylus30 is a nude Fine Line, like the 2M Bronze, but it's more closely related to a hyper-elliptical profile than the MicroLine stylus, and is less fussy about proper set-up. Done right, the ML is better, but not every table/tonearm combination can make it work to the best of its ability.
Crab33
Super Member
I didn't previously notice this desire for improved mid-range and treble clarity. The M97xE is not known for its clarity in the highs but this may be because it is often used with a capacitive load higher than the recommended value of 250pF. If used as recommended, its highs are not bad. I believe that the SAS and VividLine styli that I mentioned above also enhance the high-frequency performance.
Ortofon cartridges tend to be crisper and more detailed in the highs than the M97xE and if you were to upgrade your OM5E to an OM20, I think you would notice a big difference (over both the M97xE and OM5E).
J A
Active Member
I'm thinking in the direction of the vm540ml stylus at the moment. I did read a comment somewhere that suggested that the 540 is better for light-medium mass tonearms and that maybe the 95ml is better suited for medium mass+. It was also just a random post I saw somewhere at some point when researching which direction to go last night.
I would like to eventually (maybe the next purchase) move into MC cartridges but I honestly wasn't aware I could do that with an RP1 (and it's not really in the budget at the moment although it will be soon). My understanding (or lack of) was that the cartridge type (mc v mm) was specific to the table and you either had an mc or an mm table. I did however see I had an mc/mm switch on the back of my preamp so that's positive! Should be an easy transition when I go that route - it sounds like it's an eventual step up.
The OP mentioned in his first post that he had an RP1. The history of Rega's entry-level models is:
P1 - June 2005 (a friend of mine has this and is using the Stylus 20 on his OM5E body with excellent results)
RP1 - May 2010 (Tone Audio reported that this model was such an improvement that it replaced both the P1 and P2 in Rega's lineup)
Planar 1 - July 2016 (this is the model that, sadly, did away with adjustable antiskate)
Confusion abounds because some people use "RP1" to mean Rega Planar 1, but the RP1 and the Planar 1 are two different turntables.
benricci
Super Member
MC and MM are not really dependent on your turntable, they are depending on your phono preamp. MC cartridges have much lower output than MM and require a phono stage that can handle MC signals properly (most receivers with regular phono inputs can only accommodate moving magnet designs, unless otherwise stated).
You are free to put either type of cartridge on your turntable, so long as your phono preamp is equipped to deal with them.
I think the VMN540ML is an excellent choice, you're absolutely right. I am running one now on a Technics 1200 clone and it is outstanding for the money.
Except for spacers that go under the tonearm mount, Rega turntables do not have tonearm height adjustment, which is used to set stylus rake angle. That's not a big deal with conical or elliptical styli, but line contact styli can be fussier about this setting in order for them to work as intended. If you're looking at those more advanced stylus shapes, you might want to shop for a cartridge from someone who is also a Rega dealer and might know if a particular combination works well or not, or which spacer, if any, is needed to optimize performance.
Rega's USA importer told me they did not recommend a cartridge above the level of their own Bias 2 cartridge because the budget arm wasn't up to the task of getting your money's worth from more expensive cartridges. Tone Audio's review of the RP1 said, "The only area that the P2 bested the RP1 slightly was when I swapped the OM5e for the (almost $400) Denon DL-103R moving coil cartridge. I suspect this was due to the RB-251 tonearm on the P2’s tighter production tolerances than the arm on the RP1. Using a $400 cartridge with a $450 turntable may be negating the “budget” concept of the RP1 though." https://www.tonepublications.com/review/exclusive-the-rega-rp1/
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J A
Active Member
So, I'm only seeing a VM540ML & a VMN40ML. Am i just missing it?
J A
Active Member
When you say clear platter do you mean the glass or the acrylic? I also see there's a 12mm v 10mm. Which one did you use?
One other note, I read an article a few days discussing how the glass platters didn't do much for the RP1 relative to sound. Have you found the result to be different?