Rega P10/Apheta 3 connected to Luxman EQ-500.

lldd…I have only been using this set up for about 2 weeks but thus far I am extremely happy with this combination. I have not tried a multitude of phono stages. I had been running through the Rega Aria previously. Soundstage is much deeper and highs are smoother and incredibly real. I recently replaced the rectifier with a NOS Mullard and that is still burning in but seems to be a nice addition.

i initially had some concerns about using tubes for both my pre (Cary SLP-05) and phono stage in terms of immediacy and slam. I have not found that to be the case. On good recordings cymbals are crisp and bass tight. Horns and vocals are literally like a live show in terms of prescience and intimacy. ( Kind Of Blue UHQR/ MoFi; Diana Krall Live in Paris/Turn Up The Quiet; Patricia Barber Cafe Blue one step). Beautiful sense of air and space.

On rock/jazz i.e. Electric Ladyland box set or Beck Blow By Blow 45 rpm plenty of slam and super wide soundstage.

I have not yet gone back to the Aria to do direct comparison but will as soon as mullard tube breaks in but I also have not had a reason or inclination  to do that as the highs and sound stage are definitely much improved.

The EQ-500 definitely sounds better after some warm up, at least 30 minutes. YMMV but through the 3.7 maggies and REL s510’s this is a winner for me.

This is slightly off topic, but since there are two or three of you with this set-up, and I’m considering it, can you speak to your satisfaction with, and the qualities of the sound, with the P10 into the EQ-500?

Thanks clarifying Dover. I will measure to get actual on the 2.5 setting.
 

I can’t hear much difference in sound quality between the Low and high MC settings just a bit of gain difference so I will likely run at low as recommended. I have to be cognizant of too much gain in my system as the Cary SLP-05/pass X250 combo has alot of gain even for my relatively inefficient speakers. I am still running through threads trying to wrap my head around cartridge loading and impedance settings and how they are reported by the manufacturers. 

the input impedance on the MC low setting is 2.5 ohms. 

No it is not.

When Luxman says the MC Low is 2.5 ohms they are referring to the cartridge's internal impedance, not the load the cartridge sees. The internal impedance of the Apheta is 10 ohms.

It seems like the 40 ohm indicated for the high setting would be a closer match to Rega Alpheta 3 recommended settings?

Not necessarily.

The Luxman MC inputs are designed for low impedance ( 2.5 ohms ) and high impedance ( 40 ohms ) cartridges.

Examples of low impedance cartridges are Koetsu's 3-5 ohms, Mysonic Lab 2-3 ohms.

Examples of high impedance cartridges are Denon 103 ( 40 ohms ).

Since the Rega APHETA 3 is 10 ohms, the low MC setting is probably closer to ideal. The Rega needs to see 100 ohms - try measuring the input impedance on the phono to see what the load really is on the "2.5 ohm" setting.

In reality as mentioned above, getting the gain right is as important as load, so nothing wring with trying the different settings and using your ears to decide the optimum settings.

I am using the balanced out on the EQ-500 and have plenty of gain on either MC low or high. It seems like the 40 ohm indicated for the high setting would be a closer match to Rega Alpheta 3 recommended settings?

I have the exact same set up except with P8.

The alpheta 3 has a recommended input load impedance of 100 ohms. According to the EQ-500 manual the input impedance on the MC low setting is 2.5 ohms. Is this a mismatch to be concerned about?

the maximum capacitance setting on the EQ-500 is also 300 pF but the recommended setting per Rega for the Alphets 3 is 1000 pF. Is this a potential issue with sound quality? I have mine set to the 300 pF max.

I've had my P10 with an Apheta 3 MC and EQ-500 for over 2 years.  The EQ-500 has 2 controls that affect the overall gain.  One control has 3 settings: MM, MC-HIGH, and MC-LOW.  The other control is the gain control and it has 3 settings: 36dB, 38dB and 40dB.

The MC-LOW (for low output MC cartridges) will give you the highest gain.  The MC-LOW setting will provide 63 dB of gain when the gain is set at 36dB.  If you want the highest gain, you would set the gain at 40dB and use the MC-LOW setting for 67dB of gain.  The MC-HIGH (for high output MC cartridges) setting only provides 55dB at a gain setting of 36dB and 59dB when the gain is set to 40dB.  I'm getting these values straight off of page 11 in the owners manual.

I use the MC-LOW setting and 40dB of gain for a total gain of 67dB.  I could set it lower at 63dB (gain set at 36dB) but I like to have my digital and analog volume close when switching between the two.  If you use the MC-HIGH setting, I don't think you'll have enough gain at any of the 3 gain settings. 

I just tried the setting MC-HIGH and confirmed that it's not the right setting for the Apheta 3.  The sound was muted and less dynamic versus the MC LOW setting.

Thanks for your input tablejockey.

The Rega Apheta 3 has a .35mv output

The setting on your Luxman should be the low ouput MC -"high" setting-63db

" I spoke to luxman and they think I should just set MC high and that’s it."

Luxman gave you correct information.

"I have read posts talking about the effect of the gain dial on MC cartridges(though it is meant for MM primarily."

The gain dial is intended to adjust to whatever cart you wish to use-MM or MC

I am looking for someone who owns both these products, answer my questions. I spoke to luxman and they think I should just set MC high and that’s it. 

I have read posts talking about the effect of the gain dial on MC cartridges(though it is meant for MM primarily.

MC (low-output) / 100 Ohm load. You won't break anything with the wrong settings but keep the volume down when coming from mute just in case.

This may assist.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/luxman-eq-500-phono-preamplifier