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Do I Have the Wrong Cartridge?

I recently got back into playing vinyl on my Linn Axis (fully serviced), but needed a new cart. Since 80% of my listening is on an ARC CD3 and not knowing how often I’ll use the TT, I set a budget of only $300 on a MM and went to my local HiFi shop. They recommended a Rega Elys II.

Now to my problem...I listen to classical music and it sounds awful with this cart; strings and brass are harsh and music sounds thin overall. All my LPs are top class, pressed in Germany and Holland.
To test my TT, I played some Rock albums and they all sounded excellent; great dynamics, wide soundstaging. Records played were a wide variety; Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu Orch, Kraftwerk.

So I ask you, can a middle of the road cartridge like this Rega only sound good on a particular style of music? I was told this Rega was a good all-around cart and BTW, it’s non-returnable.

Looking for any explanation and advice.
Many thanks.
128x128lowrider57

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,136 posts
 
The Rega is a very high output cartridge, but if it was overloading the phono stage it would do so on the rock recordings just as easily if not moreso than the classical records. The same goes for issues of gain and capacitance settings. Other Rega user do not mention a long break-in period.

The Rega is designed for Rega tonearms with a three point attachment method. That geometry is designed to minimize end of record distortion at the expense of higher distortion level over the entire disc side. It is possible that this distortion would more noticeable on classical recordings. Talk to your dealer about what geometry they used to align the cartridge. It is something of a longshot, but it might point you in the right direction.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,136 posts
 
Lowrider57, you started this thread saying that rock recordings sounded excellent with the Rega. These recordings could not sound excellent if the Rega was overloading your phono stage. The peak levels on rock and classical recordings are the same. Typically rock recordings have a higher average level than classical recordings so if you were experiencing phono stage overload you would hear it more often with rock recordings. And it won't sound like a Les Paul driving a Marshall stack. The distortion would be raspy and amusical sounding. It's possible that the Rega may not be a very good cartridge for classical strings, but it's not because it's overloading your phono stage.
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