You MUST buy a VTA adjuster for non-Rega cartridges!
I recently purchased a near mint Rega P3-24 for $400 (minus the owner's Clearaudio cartridge which was listed separately)to upgrade from my 90's model Thorens TD280 MkIV.
The Thorens (which came pre-mounted with an Ortofon MC-X5!)was purchased new for $295 from J&R Music because I was afraid turntables would disappear from the marketplace at that time. It sounded great for all these years with the Ortofon, despite the tonearm being canted down several degrees from horizontal (positive VTA).
After installing the MC-X5 on my "new" Rega, I was dismayed to find my music now sounded dull, muddy and lacking definition. At first I feared that I had damaged the cartridge during installation, or that it was not well suited to the RB301 tonearm. Upon closer inspection I determined that the tonearm was actually canted slightly up(ass down)from being parallel to the record surface.
Research revealed that Rega manufactured cartridges are only 14mm high from headshell to stylus tip while my Ortofon measures about 19mm.
I ordered the Rega 2-4-6-8mm VTA adjuster. Elsewhere in these forums I read that if you raise the RB301 by 4mm it creates a problem in that the counterweight hits the shallow top of the dustcover when closed. This can be solved (for over $100) by replacing the counterweight with an underslung aftermarket or Rega tungsten weight of smaller diameter. Thankfully this wasn't necessary!
I installed the Rega VTA adjuster to raise the tonearm base exactly 4mm and checked the counterweight clearance. Because the Ortofon MC-X5 is so light (4.1g), the stock Rega counterweight balances very close to the tonearm pivot and thus does not rise quite high enough to contact the dustcover when the stylus is cued to the record. While I lucked out in this regard, I caution other Rega owners to take this (cartridge height and mass) into consideration if selecting a non-Rega cartridge.
The result - I am blown away by the new sound of my vinyl collection after this small adjustment. The Ortofon MC-X5 now sings better than ever regardless of whether I'm listening to jazz, rock or opera.
VTA makes a HUGE difference despite what the Rega folks may claim.
I recently purchased a near mint Rega P3-24 for $400 (minus the owner's Clearaudio cartridge which was listed separately)to upgrade from my 90's model Thorens TD280 MkIV.
The Thorens (which came pre-mounted with an Ortofon MC-X5!)was purchased new for $295 from J&R Music because I was afraid turntables would disappear from the marketplace at that time. It sounded great for all these years with the Ortofon, despite the tonearm being canted down several degrees from horizontal (positive VTA).
After installing the MC-X5 on my "new" Rega, I was dismayed to find my music now sounded dull, muddy and lacking definition. At first I feared that I had damaged the cartridge during installation, or that it was not well suited to the RB301 tonearm. Upon closer inspection I determined that the tonearm was actually canted slightly up(ass down)from being parallel to the record surface.
Research revealed that Rega manufactured cartridges are only 14mm high from headshell to stylus tip while my Ortofon measures about 19mm.
I ordered the Rega 2-4-6-8mm VTA adjuster. Elsewhere in these forums I read that if you raise the RB301 by 4mm it creates a problem in that the counterweight hits the shallow top of the dustcover when closed. This can be solved (for over $100) by replacing the counterweight with an underslung aftermarket or Rega tungsten weight of smaller diameter. Thankfully this wasn't necessary!
I installed the Rega VTA adjuster to raise the tonearm base exactly 4mm and checked the counterweight clearance. Because the Ortofon MC-X5 is so light (4.1g), the stock Rega counterweight balances very close to the tonearm pivot and thus does not rise quite high enough to contact the dustcover when the stylus is cued to the record. While I lucked out in this regard, I caution other Rega owners to take this (cartridge height and mass) into consideration if selecting a non-Rega cartridge.
The result - I am blown away by the new sound of my vinyl collection after this small adjustment. The Ortofon MC-X5 now sings better than ever regardless of whether I'm listening to jazz, rock or opera.
VTA makes a HUGE difference despite what the Rega folks may claim.