Planar 6 with Ania or 2M Black -you might be surprised at the winner.

Ok.... I just had a moment I had to share! (Yes I know I sound like a gushing idiot, but my wife just doesn't get it and I'd had to share with someone)
Been listening to Dire Straits forever and their self titled is a regular rotation of mine. I have NEVER heard Mark say 1,2,1,2,3,4, at the start of Sultans. The transparency and detail this system is now capable of is really very cool. It was right there all these years and yet for whatever reason was barely audible to me until today. I am LOVING this 2M Black!

 

YES!! This is what it’s all about! The audiophile chase. Moments like this! Enjoy!!!!!!

 

Glad to hear. DS are always a good test for quality playback IMHO because their albums are so pristine. Black is my next move and this thread is getting me pumped for the change. I thought bronze but now I’m black....jack.
It got rave reviews and awards.

 

Good thread - my experience is that I have a P3 and an LP12. I have run the 2M red, blue and black on both the Rega and the Linn. I think all 3 cartridges sounds way better than they have any right to, particularly on the Linn. I cannot help but agree with KT-88 in regards to the groove noise the Black picks up. It’s better than the blue in every way, but ultimately I could not keep it due to this issue.

About 6 weeks ago I purchased a new Lehmann Black Cube SE2. This is the best phono stage I have ever had. It makes the 2M blue sound better than the Black ever did when it was being driven into a lesser stage (Rega Fono MM MK2, Naim Stageline/flatcap 2). Quiet as oblivion, with amazing speed and detail retrieval. Very dynamic in my system.

Which has begun to threaten my thinking with a sort of paradigm shift - that very inexpensive cartridges (if hung off the end of very capable tables/arms) may be able to generate quite a bit more performance than a cheap phono section is able to exploit. I have always considered the importance of the replay chain to be something like this: TT>arm>cart>phono>amp>speakers. But I’m increasingly inclined to move the cartridge back to a spot just slightly in front of the speakers now.

Now don’t get me wrong - I also run an Ortofon Cadenza Red LOMC, and this is “better” than the 2M blue (and the Black, and my Linn Karma and Asaka), but it is not better in EVERY way. There is a “bloom” and “organic wholeness” that the lowly 2M blue has that eludes the Cadenza, even tho the Cadenza sounds more detailed, bigger, with better imaging and soundstage . . . and altogether more “sophisticated”. I can TOTALLY understand why someone might prefer the virtues of a capable MM over a LOMC, based on these findings.

I run the little Leben integrated and despite how good the Lehmann is (in fact, likely BECAUSE the Lehmann has shown me what is possible), I decided to order the Leben phono stage about 2 weeks ago to go with my amp. I’ll either run this with my cheap Ortofon step-ups and my Cadenza or straight from a 2M Bronze, which i suspect is the sweet spot of the 2M range. I have some experimenting to do.

Judd

 

I also have a 2M Blue that sometimes doesn't sound as good as my Nagaoka MP-110, other times it does. I play both with a Musical Fidelity V90 LPS phono stage ($199). My common sense tells me that if I wanted to try a better sound I should upgrade the cartridge but, according to your experience, maybe they can deliver more with a better phono stage. That is very interesting.

Sometimes I wonder if too much sophistication and detail don't come to the detriment of some musical wholeness, at least to some kinds of music. Your experience corroborates this hypothesis.

I suspect that too. Sometimes I'm afraid to buy the Black and regret, but sometimes I'm afraid to buy the Bronze and regret! So I'm sticking with the Blue so far.

 

Did they say why? Surely this would have something to do with earth pin arrangement if true. I can't see the wiring scheme would be any different on the new P6 unless they have added a separate earth wire which Rega don't appear to believe in.

 

Something about the wiring and this was exclusive only to the Rp6. They stated that Rega had known this for a while. Again, I’m surprised this was not made aware to the general public but I’ll try the Planar 6 to see how it goes.

 

I'm going to jump in on this and add my 2 cents. I think you are both headed in the right direction based on my admittedly limited experience. The stage has become one of the more important parts of the analog chain in my humble opinion based on the last few months and the various depths of sounds I was able to achieve from lousy to stellar simply based on switching out the stage. My journey took me from a 400.00 Rega stage to a 2,000.00 Lehmann Decade and some really very good in between stages. Obviously solid state vs. tube makes a hell of a difference too and then we can discuss tube rolling which offers another way to tailor that stage to your liking. So my point is I had a 2M Blue and loved it. Major upgrade from the Red I started this hobby with several years ago. Had I known then what I know now....I may have stalled the purchase of the Planar 6 and tried some different stages with the Debut Carbon and the 2M Blue I traded in.

 

Interesting.

Have you used any other MC carts with the EAR? Is it well-suited to ones of any particular outputs etc?

 

My experience is even more limited. But if I could go back in time I would still swap my Debut Carbon for my Pioneer PLX-1000 all over again. I had had the Pro-ject for five years and never really loved it mostly because of hum issues. My system got better when I added the phono stage and the Nagaoka MP-110 but I was still disliking that table. Considering the extremely limited possibilities I had in Brazil, I did some research and bought the Pioneer to no regrets so far.

Now I have the chance to visit North America and then Europe later this year and bring back some gear. It would be silly not to take this opportunities.

My thoughts went to different directions. First I thought of a new turntable. MoFi Ultradeck and SL1200G or GR are available there and I have good feelings about both. But that wouldn't be very rational since my turntable is only 2 months old and, and considering it's very good, I believe it has a lot of potential I haven't used yet. I know people that own that table and upgraded cartridges, from the price range of mine up, and were happy with the results.

So I thought of a new cartridge, maybe going up in the 2M or Nagaoka MP series, or the MoFi Ultra Tracker, or trying something different, like an entry level MC from Denon or Ortofon. I was in this direction until yesterday when I read this thread.

Now I'm researching phono preamps. Maybe I'll come back with a new one? Sounds like this would be the best path for an upgrade at this moment.

 

Not yet, but there is a Dynavector 17D3 in my very near future.

 

The Ania sounds very balanced in my system, but if I ever do go back to a DV cart, that is the one I will target.

 

I'd suggest the 20X2L, if you can swing it.

Unless neutrality is of the utmost importance, in which case the 17D3 is the better choice.

 

After just trading for my P6/Ania package and getting ready to buy speakers, the only swinging I will be doing is in the wind.

 

The 20X2L is 350.00 cheaper so certainly worth a look!

 

True. Sorry, it's early in the morning on a Monday.

 

A bit mystified about all this talk of hum with a 2M Black/RP6 & a 'known problem'. I used this pairing for several years without any issues & two other friends have the RP6/2M Black or Bronze (same body), again without any hum.

Our power supply uses 50hz, USA/Canada 60hz so could this have an impact?

 

Glad to hear I wasn’t going crazy! Thank you for that response.
I still am a little furious that this has not been offered as a stated fact anywhere in North America. I’ve heard a lot of great comments on this pairing, as well. With me, the hum just took over the music. Ridiculous that this is an issue on the brand new (we’ll... discontinued but sealed) model.

I’m in Canada and I never had this issue with my Rp3. Will update soon once it’s back from setup and hopefully it’ll be a-ok.

 

Amazing cart for a Rega, spacer not needed. Will completely shred the 2M black in terms of refinement and dynamic power.

 

I can’t speak to it on a Rega, but I’ve owned it in the context of a Linn LP12/Ekos, and I found it somewhat thin and threadbare. VERY fast . . . But lacking in body. TMMV, but just my two cents. . .

 

Very interesting findings. I’m looking at the P6 down the road. Maybe the elliptical stylus on the Ania holding back it’s performance?

 

I had a Dyna 20xH on my P3 and I dont miss it all. I like the Ania better. Mike is the only person so far that hasnt liked his. Cartridge sound can be very system dependent and Mike was looking for something a little warmer. I have heard his amp and speakers, I have no doubt that the Ear/Ortofon most likely gave him the system balance he was looking for.

You need to hear the P6/Ania in your system with your phono preamp. Then make a decision. No cartridge will sound best in every system.

 

Wonder if the L is that much better because on my VPI Prime, it truly sounds sublime.

 

Possibly, the lower output will be quicker. May have been the opposite choice for me on a Prime. Remember, the Ania was designed specifically for a Rega P6. I doubt it could hold of a Dyna 17D3 though.

PS: KT88 also made me a killer deal on the combo.

 

I don't want to give the wrong impression. I do like the Ania, but for my taste and preferences in music, I like the 2M Black a bit better. Quite a bit actually. That said one day I would like to try a higher end MC cart (1.5k -2k) and see if it really grabs me. But I think that money is better spent on the best stage one can get for the most impact in my experience anyway.