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My dealer did it. And said me he had absolutely no problem. It was straightforward.

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The only problem with the spacer is that it reduces rigidity and compromises the design. Rega say they serve no purpose and should be avoided. There is a section about it in their book, which is a very good read. I won’t post a photo of the section here because it would infringe copyright.

The optimal solution seems to be to use a Rega cartridge - so long as you like the sound of course.

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Yes, I wonder about that. Their whole philosophy does revolve around as few a joints as possible in the chain, so I do question how much of a compromise a spacer is. I have one fitted on my RP6 and I do ponder if its slightly hobbled and that a Rega cart without a spacer would be a better bet.

I’ve just read the book and it’s a good read - esp about the RB300 production (wow) and how the the Naiad was conceived (a stunning piece of industrial design). I found it interesting how much of Roy Gandy’s upbringing informed his overall outlook, problem solving skills, and how the company came about, and of course their steady pragmatic approach to product development. I have a lot of new found respect for Rega after reading the book.

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I agree. I thought it might be rather dull but it was really interesting. The candour was really refreshing, especially around when the company hit hard times, and staff were unhappy and kept leaving. It gives a nice insight into how the marketing demands fed through into production, and the compromises needed to hit price points. The company are obviously keen to deliver the best products for the price, other than the Naiad of course.

There is a nice section about the RP10 - it as written before the P10 of course - and how it’s sometimes dismissed because it’s too small and too cheap. There is a lot in that, I feel. Take the Planar 10, for £5,000 including a nice cartridge. Maybe if it cost double, it would be taken more seriously.

They don’t make car radios for posh boys either, just good value hifi equipment, which is rather refreshing.

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Even at £5k , that is now a serious competitor to an LP12 , ten years ago if you suggested that Rega would be challenging for LP12 sales - you would have been looked at with raised eyebrows.

Indeed they are challenging Naim with products like the Aethos .

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@anon4489532 & @Ian2001 Agree with those comments, I think Rega still have the perception of the budget banger about them as a company which is a shame, simply for their very core philosophy of pushing the boundaries to deliver good quality at a sensible price. IIRC Mr Fremer said in passing in one of his videos (can’t remember which one) that the sensible choice of deck up to around 10-15K USD would be the P10, and that higher end brand snobs do not take it or Rega seriously enough. When I change my RP6, the P10 is without doubt the primary candidate, although I will listen to a Majik & Akurate LP12 just to make sure, and for nostalgia’s sake.

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I had an Aethos, it was very good - drove my P3ESR with ease - it went for non audio reasons .

Saw pictures of the new Saturn CD player /DAC - at £2k it looked attractive

Rega can say what they want and where is their interest, which is selling their cartridges.
I don’t like Apheta sound particularly, and for me the Kleos is completely on another league.
Will not say the Apheta 3 is bad, but nothing exceptional. For my ears of course.
Michael Fremer himself reviewed the P10, as the Rp10. He recommended me the spacer for the Kleos.

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I would certainly run a spacer than not as its got to be better than having the cartridge to low and the arm at a horrible angle.
But this is the problem with rega turntables, the lack of adjustability that’s built into them, I guess so it forces most to run rega cartridge’s, just a shame.

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Not really. They just prioritise rigidity and say that the arm height is irrelevant, which is not the same as pushing their own cartridges. Maybe you know better than the company themselves.

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Forgot you had an Aethos for a while - nice. Not heard one, but I have heard the Osiris and thought it was tremendous, so if the Aethos is anything close to that monster then it should be a corker.

Apologies for the thread drift, back on to turntables…

Michael Fremer is a worldwide analog specialist. I trust him more than a company which has financial interest to discourage people to not put non Rega carts on their decks.
As strong as I like Rega turntables, it’s not a reason for me to trust them blindly.
You can read other forums, some more specialised on vinyl than here, like Steve Hoffman, Vinyl engine…A lot use spacers with Rega carts.

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Changing the SRA on the cartridge can be heard by most users. If using a Rega arm/deck and not using a Rega cartridge then the VTA will need adjustment in some cases. Not adjusting the VTA to create an acceptable SRA would be a mistake imo. Rega has other quirks in their design- the method of achieving ground comes to mind… My favorite is the stance that records do not need a good wet cleaning- just a light dusting :slight_smile:

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Only change this year is the addition of a re-tipped Benz Micro Ruby 2 to my Thorens TD124 Mk II.

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Recently Richard Dane commented elsewhere that he is not rushed to take a P10 over his Rp10, as someone told the P10 is not forcefully better.
I agree with that, because I had precedently the Rp10. This later sounds a bit softer and lighter vs the P10. The P10 is more authoritative, dynamic, with better defined bass, but less forgiving on bad recordings. So the Rp10 may suit more on some systems.

Very nice Toon. Did you upgrade from a Urika to the Aura?

Love the casework & build quality of Rega’s reference series gear.

Cheers, Rack.

:+1:t5:

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Thanks. I upgraded from Cyrus Phono Signature and PSXR2 power supply to the Aura.

My phono stage journey has been….

Dynavector P-75 → Linn Linto → Cyrus Phono Signature-> Rega Aura.

I auditioned Urika at the time of moving from Linto but the Cyrus was better (yeah, really!) so I went with that.

The Aura is in another league though. Very happy with this final move

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That’s a beauty!


My first post on here so a big hello to you all. Here is my Lenco PTP, Rega RB300, Audio Technica AT F03, Cambridge Audio Duo phono stage feeding into a NAC-N-272, I purchased this a month or so ago and have been truly blown away (the NAC), Nad 208, KEF R3, REL Storm…phew, I am slowly upgrading as some of this is very old! I have a NAP-250DR on order so looking forward to that. I think possibly the sub may have to change next, I’m looking at a KEF KC62, we are in a small terraced house so very limited with what will fit. There really is some amazing kit on show here, perhaps when I win the lottery…

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That’s a lovely turntable - it’s not just the large number of boxes that people get “interested” it’s often the older, more obscure items

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