Meojay Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 I have a Rega P8 that has been running an Apheta 2 for the last 3 years. Freak accident saw a piece of clothing catch the needle l, bending the cantilever and this basically rendering the cartridge dead. I am in the market for a new cartridge and looking for any left field ideas? My default will be an Apheta 3 as I was sublimely happy with the original set up. Some details for those who need them: RB880 tonearm Rega Aria pre VTL IT-85 pre and power Spendor A6s speakers mostly Jazz, mostly piano, quartets and some big band stuff. If not another Apheta, what would people suggest at a similar price point? TIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 @Meojay, you might like to ask @cafe latte whether he can rebuild your Apheta 2. I would imagine this will cost you a lot less than buying a new cart. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbasement Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Have heard Apheta 2 on RP8, i prefer Ortofon Jubilee better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinm1 Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Grado 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awayward Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 The Apheta 3 is heaps better than the 2. I’ve had Audio Technica ART9 which was very good but now discountinued, I’ve read that the new equivalents are excellent, worth considering. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meojay Posted December 26, 2023 Author Share Posted December 26, 2023 3 hours ago, colinm1 said: Grado Yeah but which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meojay Posted December 26, 2023 Author Share Posted December 26, 2023 5 hours ago, dwbasement said: Have heard Apheta 2 on RP8, i prefer Ortofon Jubilee better. I had an Ortofon Black in it briefly and was very unhappy. Have run various Ortofons on other Rega tables in the past and never loved them the way I love the Apheta, but to be fair, they were all MMs, so maybe time for a revisit! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 My 02. Forget the Apheta and buy this https://recordclean.com.au/dynavector-dv-xx2-mkii-low-output-mc-cartridge.html You can thank me later if you can find a moment to stop listening. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugo_wilco Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 I have a Planar 8 running a Zyx Bloom 50. Has great synergy. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbasement Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Meojay said: I had an Ortofon Black in it briefly and was very unhappy. Have run various Ortofons on other Rega tables in the past and never loved them the way I love the Apheta, but to be fair, they were all MMs, so maybe time for a revisit! Thanks. 2m black and Jubilee....miles apart. Most decent MC will sound better than Apheta 1 and 2. Never heard 3 so can't say. Ortofon carts and rega has special Synergy, may be give the MC a try. Make sure you get something similar price range as the apheta 2 or 3. Edited December 26, 2023 by dwbasement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinm1 Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Grado opus 3 by all accounts a stunner 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwbasement Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Yes, the xx2 also better than Apheta no doubt. I had the xx2 on my p9 before I went back to ortofon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussievintage Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 15 hours ago, rantan said: My 02. Forget the Apheta and buy this https://recordclean.com.au/dynavector-dv-xx2-mkii-low-output-mc-cartridge.html You can thank me later if you can find a moment to stop listening. +1 I have listened to one of these on an RP6 (I think it was). Good match, great sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to music Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Go digital, and it I’ll reduced the possibility of cartridge damage significantly 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasebass Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 15 minutes ago, Addicted to music said: Go digital, and it I’ll reduced the possibility of cartridge damage significantly …… & Sound Quality….. Hey you started this!!.. Tase. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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