Rega R200: What is the best "sound for pound" cartridge for this veritable tone-arm?

[serendipitydawg]

Advice please. I was fortunate to buy this wonderful turntable from the classifieds here

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32789-FS-Lenco-GL75-Turntable-fully-serviced-in-solid-wood-plinth-Rega-tonearm

I have a 30 year old Ortofon MC 20 Mk2 installed currently & am amazed how good it sounds.

I like the look of this NOS SAE suggested by this thread

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?25716-SAE-1000LT-MC-Cartridge. Still available for £260!

This would be the most I would want to spend.

Suggestions please. Ideally compatible with my CA 640P, no fancy transformers or new head-amp suggestions

[guy]

Hi,

you seem to have an ADC magnesium alloy head shell on the Rega, why not keep an eye out for an ADC XLM. I used one many years ago and thought they worked together very well.

Regards. Guy.

[Yomanze]

Hi,

you seem to have an ADC magnesium alloy head shell on the Rega, why not keep an eye out for an ADC XLM. I used one many years ago and thought they worked together very well.

Regards. Guy.

Yes, which makes the arm well-suited to MM cartridges as that ADC headshell weighs less than 8g. I'd go for a Goldring G1042. :)

I put a Denon PCL-5 (6.1g!!!) headshell on my Pioneer PL-71 (uses a derivative of the R200) and it really transformed the sound - the Sumiko headshell was just too heavy for MM.

[twotone]

I've Reson Reca cart on my arm which is a super charged Goldring 1042 seemingly, a bleeding fantastic cart, I previously had an SAE 1000LT and that was excellent too but the Reson is the best I've heard on my system.

[twotone]

Yes, which makes the arm well-suited to MM cartridges as that ADC headshell weighs less than 8g. I'd go for a Goldring G1042. :)

I put a Denon PCL-5 (6.1g!!!) headshell on my Pioneer PL-71 (uses a derivative of the R200) and it really transformed the sound - the Sumiko headshell was just too heavy for MM.

Hi Neil, I'm using a Micro Seiki Headshell on a Mirco Seiki arm and the headshell is about 10g is that too heavy for a MM cart such as the Reca I'm using at the minute?

Thanks

Tony

[serendipitydawg]

Tony, forgive me for pointing out that this is a thread about the Rega R200 arm, so i am at a bit of loss to understand why you are asking questions about a Micro Seikei arm?:scratch:

Why don't you communicate with Neil via PM? Thanks for your views btw. I had a look on vinyl engine and the data in their database seems in complete, omitting the effective mass for all the arms by Microseki.

Now back to the scheduled programme (hopefully):)

[twotone]

Tony, forgive me for pointing out that this is a thread about the Rega R200 arm, so i am at a bit of loss to understand why you are asking questions about a Micro Seikei arm?:scratch:

Why don't you communicate with Neil via PM? Thanks for your views btw. I had a look on vinyl engine and the data in their database seems in complete, omitting the effective mass for all the arms by Microseki.

Now back to the scheduled programme (hopefully):)

Apologies mathew.

Tony

[walpurgis]

I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm Matthew, but I had a good R200. Or at least it was after I replaced the rotted, broken bias control belt. These arms are all getting rather old and rotting belts is a common problem. Fitting the belt is easy enough, but they are no longer available (I bought the last one I believe), so if it fails, you have a dead arm! I flogged mine sharpish once I'd fixed it.

[DSJR]

First, ask Johnnie 7 (Audio Origami) if he's sourced a suitable bias belt (I know someone did on ebay not so long ago). My R200 has a nylon replacement so they must be available from a video-machine belt kit somewhere!

The arm you have looks to be an ex-Planar 3 sample, which should mean closer tolerance horizontal bearings - they're gravity loaded so slop isn't a problem really. This arm isn't resonance prone and so will take a huge range of fixed and moving coil cartridges, but NOT an early ADC XLM or XLM II, as these are frighteningly high compliance. An XLM III or Phase IV would be great. Better today may be an Ortofon 2M Red or Bronze in all honesty (Black too) and as you've discovered, your MC model is fine here. I used my Deccapodded Microscanner in mine with superb results at 1.6g and stable tracking as long as the deck wasn't jogged from the side (Decca's have highish horizontal compliance but little vertical).

I'm renowned for hating bodged-up Lenco's, but yours seems well done. Enjoy and possibly consider letting AO rewire the external cables if nothing else :)

[shane]

I just bought myself one of these as a stopgap until I can afford to have my Denon 304 rebuilt. Suffice it to say that I'm not in any hurry with the Denon any more. At the asking price, this thing's stupidly good value!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251557981818