What Is The Best Catridge For Rega Rp1

by **lofijunkie** » 19 Mar 2011 19:40

I have an RP1 with a quite different mods- 251 arm(the P2 arm which is the base for many high end tables and endless tweaks)and bias 2 cart. Sound is probably best it will get before wasting money which could be used for a nicer table. The stock cart is fine. Focus on amp and speakers. I had a HK receiver hooked up to this table and it was very passable for a lo budget rig. Speakers and placement make a huge impact. I would work on that before anything with your table.
I dumped my HK for a tube amp and now the table sounds nicer than most cd players. Thats based on friends opinions with pricey gear.
Seems owners of this table forget this is a budget table. Good sound
is the based on the whole of your system, not just the table.
Lustmans solution is unusal. With this type of table you want solid decoupling-like spikes on a speaker.

by **lustman** » 19 Mar 2011 20:44

hi lofijunkie,

Now i have a really good sound, better than a cd player,
I isolate my TT, move my speakers, change my cartridge.
My yamaha ax550 amp + jmlab 715 are a really good cheap choice, neutral and dynamic.

I listen all kind of music and all play very well

by **Alec124c41** » 20 Mar 2011 05:15

If you have a felt mat, try DIY cork and leather mats. I prefer both to the felt.

Cheers,
Alec

by **lustman** » 24 Mar 2011 07:29

alec, what are the differences in the sound with your home made felt mat, please?

and do you have a link to find this?

thanks

by **Alec124c41** » 25 Mar 2011 02:47

I have tried DIY, DStat, and Tonar felt mats. A cork mat is much more detailed, a leather gives a much cleaner bass and quieter background.
The only reason I have used felt in the last few years was that I happen to have 3 DStat mats, and when comparing 2 turntables, I feel other factors should be equal.
I also do not like thin craft foam, or soft rubber (Plattermat).
If you have a weight or clamp, put a CD under the record and play it. Interesting.
Shelf-liner works pretty well, but do not leave a record on one overnight.

Cheers,
Alec

by **Matt Lynch** » 25 Mar 2011 04:58

hi all, this is just my findings on the whole 'mat' thing,
cork mats are awful ,thick rubber is better IMO, i found cork bring's such an obvious colouration, ringmat cork mats only touch the record at a couple of points and this is for good reason i believe ,
leather is fantastic on glass and metal platters but gives a very damped sound on plastic and mdf ! which seems to suit certain musical tastes well,
lambs wool felt is one of the best at giving a well balanced sound over all genre's of music and is cheap ,
thee best i have used to date is the funk mat, but its insanely expensive for what is some foam board that sign makers use!
do experiment and please do report your findings as these are just my findings and your personal taste may just love cork ,
all the best,
matt

by **lustman** » 25 Mar 2011 10:18

I try this :

I have really a more punchy sound with better medium, the sound is less flat :shock:

perfect, just with an old cd !!!

by **Sandbah 92** » 26 Mar 2011 16:41

Besides my Rega p1 I have a Technics 1200mk2 and interchnage my collection of carts between the 2 tables. Recently I bought a used copy of the Grateful Dead's Bear's Choice which was decent looking but very filthy. I ran it through my RCM but the surface noise was very in my face with all these carts - 2m blue, Shure 97xe, Shure 97xe with JICO SAS stylus - except my Nagaoka MP110 which is on my p1. I just bought a white belt for the Rega so I installed that, checked the VTF, etc. Don't know how much the new belt has to do with it or the combo of it and the MP110, but on the same lp surface noise was barely noticeable.

by **lustman** » 27 Mar 2011 00:12

@ Sandbah 92

do you think that the white belt is better than the original black one?

the sound is it better or it is just the noise that disappear ?

by **Sandbah 92** » 27 Mar 2011 01:16

Yes, Lustman, I've been playing the Rega for 5 or 6 hours today, and I do believe the sound is much more detailed, pronounced, musical, and bassier > today I also played it with the dustcover off. The second nosiest album in my collection is a first pressing of the Buffalo Springfield Again album, and that was remarkably quieter with the MP110 and the white belt. Sometime soon I'm going to swap carts and put the 2 Shures on to see if they sound differently. I just figured that if I was going to buy a new belt I'd buy the white for $20 more - something I swore I'd never do. Thus far it appears to have been worth it.

by **lustman** » 27 Mar 2011 15:31

Interesting the white bell

by **lustman** » 27 Mar 2011 15:31

I try 3 differents stylus with these records

Radiohead 'in rainbows'
red house painters 'bridge'
nick drake 'five leaves left'
miles davis 'kind of blue'
narciso yepes '5 siècles de guitare'
rhythm & sound 'the artists'

Genuine N500 conical

+ great bass, great medium, very punchy !
- lack of details, not very good in the treeble, somehow confused

Pfanstiehl 4820-DE elliptical .3x.7 (red dot)

+ great details, nice treeble, defined, great stereo
- lack of medium, bass, cold

Pfanstiehl or Musonic elliptical .4x.7 (yellow dot)

+ great medium, nice voices, great bass (but not as punchy than the conical)

- less details than the Pfanstiehl 4820-DE

perhaps i prefer the Musonic stylus for the voice and the medium

by **Sandbah 92** » 27 Mar 2011 22:55

Today I went back and forth with the white and black belts and the MP110. I was in the process of exchanging the MP for the Shure 97xe with the SAS stylus to give that a shot, and I broke 2 of the female lead clips that go into the cart so I can't report on a different cart with the white belt. Also, of my 5 carts I'm most impressed with the MP110 at half the cost of the 2M blue and the Shure 97xe with the SAS.

by **lustman** » 28 Mar 2011 15:19

sorry for your clips Sandbah

i think i will buy a white belt, i find one on ebay for 25 euros