Rega Brio-R phone stage, bypass with external - recommended?

[Beobloke]

You know, I tried to think of a good universal alternative to the 10** series and had some difficulty apart from two high output mc types (Blue Point and DL110) and maybe the Ortofon Vivo Blue, which needs a step-up I think.. I've had a couple of reports from pals who've tried the 2M Blue and both found it over-critical of setup etc, so maybe not worth the bother?

Anyway, since the 10** series is fairly widely available on the used market and new styli can be bought without difficulty, then maybe that's all there is?

There are a few options:

- Goldring 10** series
- Goldring 2*** series - there seems to be some disappointment with regard to them but I've found them to be very good. They are quite different in sonic nature to the 10** series, however, so this may be the source of some of the dissent. The 2500 and a Jelco SA-750D is a match made in heaven IMHO.
- Ortofon 2M series. What can I say - I'm a fan!
- Nagaoka MP-*00 series. Smoother and rather more laid back than the Ortofons and Goldrings but very nice all the same.
- The AT440Mla and the Shure M97Xe for those who think it's still 1979...

I generally tend to steer clear of High Output MCs as I find them too much of a compromise. Yes, they work into an MM input but as they are MCs, this does not load them correctly. Many people seem to think that they give the best of both worlds but most of them only give of their best when given MM input sensitivity and MC loading, and very few more budget phono stages offer this. By the time you've bought a phono stage that does, you might as well buy a proper Low Output MC.

[DSJR]

The previous M97HE is a very truthful if small-scale sound and wonderful into a Croft 25RS The 440MLa is a bit toppy and setup sensitive for a "universal" cartridge, isn't it Adam? Like I said, a *universal* cartridge around £200 most peeps can fit and forget into a wide variety of different new and old decks..

Hmm