Rega Exact 2 on a Technics 1200

I think they compliment each other pretty well. You will need a shim between the headshell and the cartridge in that the Rega cartridges are very short in height and the Technics VTA will not go low enough to accommodate them. Regarding the phono stage, the good news is that the output of the Exact is very high at about 7mV, so you won't need a lot of gain, and noise won't be a problem even with relatively high noise, all tube designs if you choose to go that route.

Certainly, for $600 you've got other options worth considering. Alignment shouldn't be a problem though.

Thanks for your opinions, is there a general concensus on MM cartridges that match up well with the technics tonearm and the more popular kab mods? Just getting some ideas for future upgrades.

I agree with Synthfreek, he is correct for many reasons.

Let me ask...since you are using a 1200 I would only assume that you're not a "typical listener". Do your tastes lean more toward electronic music, rock, hip-hop or the typical audiophile stuff like jazz and/or classical?