Rega Elys II cartridge: Is it worth the money??


I am considering buying a Rega P3-24, but am not sold on Rega's cartridge, Elys II. I have read very little about it, except it being mentioned in last month's Absolute Sound review of the P-3-24. How does it stack up against the Dynavector 10X5, or either the Sumiko Blue Point#2 or the Sumiko EvoIII. The EVO and Dynavector are about $100 more in price and both are high output moving coils. The ElysII is a moving magnet. Need some input about this cartridge and whether it is competitive.
sunnyjim

Showing 1 response by hfisher3380

A previous incarnation of my system employed a Rega P3 with RB300 arm. I thought it logical to stick with a Rega cartridge due to presumed compatibility with the arm and ease of set-up. It replaced a likely decades-old Supex cartridge which was a throw-in with the used table. And I was never happy with the sound of the P3/RB300 with the Rega Elys so I sold it (the Supex sounded way, way better). The elys was replaced with the slightly more expensive Dynavector 10x4Mk2 (the 10x5's predecessor) and let me tell you - the difference was night and day. Compared to the dyna, the elys was strident, un-natural sounding, compressed and extremely unpleasant.

When it comes to budget turntables and especially tonearms Rega is a great choice. For cartridges they are easily bettered. If I were you I'd steer very clear of Rega cartridges.