Answering Customer Question at Audio T Bristol (Part 2)
/
New Range of REGA CARTRIDGES: (LEFT TO rIGHT) nD3, ND5, ND7
“I have a Rega Planar 3 50th Anniversary Deck with Exact Cartridge and Rega Fono MM. What is the best upgrade for this?”
The Rega Planar 3 50th Anniversary deck is a bit of a Goldilocks in the Rega range. Rega realised this, and due to its success, has released a similarly spec’d edition: the Rega Planar 3 RS. Like the new RS, the Anniversary edition came with an upgraded reference belt and a motor matched to the Rega Neo PSU Mk2 separate power supply. The Neo PSU Mk2 delivers a quiet, clean, and utterly stable feed to the Planar 3 motor, enhancing the deck’s overall performance. The Rega Fono MM is a worthy upgrade from an in-amplifier phono stage, especially if you’re not planning to upgrade the deck or cartridge to MC for some time.
REGA PLANAR 3 STANDARD EDITION WITH EXACT CARTRIDGE
The 50th Anniversary deck offered a perfect balance of quality build, arm, cartridge, power supply, and phono stage. However, you could consider trading this deck in for the Rega Planar 6, which features a Tancast 8 foam plinth, an aluminium sub-platter, and a 6mm thicker dual-layer glass platter. The Planar 6 is a tighter, lighter deck, optimised for the Ania and Ania Pro Moving Coil cartridges from Rega.
To Nd or Not to Nd.
Back to the question: Is there a case to upgrade to the new Nd5 or Nd7 cartridges? Rega’s all-new Nd range of cartridges is a world first. Developed over 10 years, these cartridges promise “next level” performance from moving magnet technology. Each model uses an ultra-high-powered Neodymium magnet, enabling a unique design that delivers more power than a standard bar magnet. These cartridges feature a glass-filled PPS body, providing improved rigidity and vibration control.
Nd Cartridge Overview:
Nd3: Replacing the multi-award-winning Elys 2, the Nd3 features a high-quality elliptical profile manmade polycrystalline diamond bonded to a round titanium shank. It’s a factory-fitted option for the Planar 2 or 3.
Nd5: This cartridge has an aluminium cantilever with a precision “perfect elliptical nude diamond” stylus. This profile offers exceptional tracking accuracy and extracts greater detail from vinyl.
Nd7: Featuring a “fine line” nude diamond profile, the Nd7 is designed for ultimate detail retrieval. The same profile is used in Rega’s high-end MC models, Apheta 3 and Aphelion 2. The Nd7 performs best when paired with the Planar 6 or Planar 8.
For this setup, upgrading from the Exact to the Nd5 is the better option.
Phono Stage
REGA FONO MM PHONO STAGE
Could further performance gains be achieved by upgrading the Fono MM phono stage to the Aria? Considering a future move to a Planar 6 or higher with an MC cartridge, the Aria is worth exploring.
I called Rega up on this, to find out if the MM is the same topology in the Aria as the Fono MM - turns out NOT AT ALL. When designing the Aria, Rega leveraged the improved power supply and layout space to create a newly designed MM stage, discreetly housed and insulated. Unlike the Fono MM, the Aria benefits from a cleaner power supply and enhanced circuit design.
The Aria is an “all-analogue amplifier” with no digital control circuitry. Its aluminium case shields internal circuits from stray RFI signals, and its design avoids “superfluous gadgets” that could degrade sound quality. The MM input uses low-noise bipolar transistors configured as a compound pair. Separate power supplies for each channel and further sub-power supplies for low-noise circuits ensure top-tier performance.
Setup & Listening
Selection of albums used to evaluate upgrades: from artists;Stereophonics, Amy Winehouse, Portishead, Applewood Road, Vashti Bunyan, Leif. Bonny Light Horseman, Beck, When Jah Shall Come -Various
To evaluate the upgrades, I tested with the following vinyl: Stereophonics, Amy Winehouse, Portishead, Applewood Road, Vashti Bunyan, Leif, Bonny Light Horseman, Beck, and the compilation When Jah Shall Come. Familiar music helps assess improvements in transparency, soundstage, instrument placement, and emotional presentation.
Starting with the Rega Planar 3 Exact with Neo PSU and Fono MM, I swapped the cartridge for the Nd3. Despite expectations of a step down, the Nd3 outperformed the Exact—a surprising result given its £175 price compared to the Exact’s £275. Rega’s claims of groundbreaking performance are justified. The Nd5 further enhanced performance, but the Nd7 offered minimal improvement, likely limited by the arm and sub-platter. This confirms that the Nd7 minimum deck is the Planar 6.
With the Nd5 fitted, I moved on to the phono stage. The leap in performance from Fono MM to Aria was similar to the improvement from Exact to Nd5.
Conclusions
The original Rega Planar 3 Exact Anniversary cost £899 with Rega Fono MM (£220) £1,119
Nd5 upgrade £295
Rega Aria £1,100
Less:- Rega Fono MM Trade in £150
Spend £1,245*
I know it’s an upgrade that costs more than the deck and on paper looks a little foolish, But, hear me out. The Planar 3 50th Anniversary, was a one off and is a thing of beauty. Heart ruling head - it’s worth every penny. Spend another £530, and future proof yourself with the Rega Planar 6, Aria and trade in the rega Planar 3 anniversary, the spend would be:
Rega Planar 6 (ND7) £1,575
Rega Aria £1,100
Less: Rega Planar 3 50th Anniversary + Rega Fono MM £900
Spend £1,775*
This was quite an expedition through the new cartridges from Rega and evaluating performance gain with upgrades to power supply and phono stage, and as always, the proof is in the pudding - book an audition and hear for yourself how the Rega Planar 3 performance can be improved.
Thank you for reading,
Justin, George and Max - Audio T Bristol
If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.
If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…
*All prices, credit terms and interest rates quoted are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. E&OE
Rega can be found at the following Audio T stores
