Rega Planar 6 - Exact or Ania?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by kdl6769, Mar 12, 2018.

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  1. Tartifless

    Tartifless Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    In your situation I would go for the exact: you have a MM pre and the exact is more forgiving with surface noise due to it's better stylus shape.
     
    Morbius likes this.
  2. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    The Exact is a great cart. I really enjoyed it with a few levels of phono pre. First the Rega MM Fono, then the Rega Aria, and finally with the Manley Chinook. (Details in my profile). The Manley in particular revealed how special this cart truly is.
     
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  3. Paopawdecarabao

    Paopawdecarabao Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Your using your chinook with the Exact or Apheta? How is it compared to your Aria? I'm planning to upgrade my Fono MC with my Ania to a Chinook or Aria.
     
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  4. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I have 3 systems, all in my profile. The Chinook SE is in my Primaluna/B&W system with the RP6 and Exact.

    I play the RP10/Alpheta 2 through the Rega Aria>Elicit R>KEF Reference 1.

    The Aria and Chinook are totally different animals. Tubes vs. solid state and all that. Also different price points. It really depends what sound you are after. But Chinook is a step above.

    That being said the synergy of the all Rega front end system is incredible. The Alpheta w/ Aria is a match made in heaven. I love them so much I am planning to stay with Rega for this system and upgrade to the Aura phono and eventually the Aphelion cart for the RP10.

    If you are interested in the Aria, Michael Fremer has a very accurate review. It is a phenomenal phono and I love it.

    My last thought to put it in perpsective, I love the Aria and it does all I need but I will eventually upgrade it. On the other hand, the Chinook is an end game phono for my tube system.
     
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  5. Paopawdecarabao

    Paopawdecarabao Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I currently have a Fono MC with an Ania MC on Planar 6. Current Int amp is a Yaqin MC-13s and speakers a Klipsch Forte III. I love how it sounds currently but looking to upgrade in the future for an end game analog system.

    Upgrade that I am looking for my TT is a VPI Super Prime Scout from Upscale Audio w/ a Kiseki Blue probably and a Manley Chinook SE ii from upscale audio as well. And would be replacing my Yaqin Tube with a Mcintosh MA252. But I am not sure yet. Speakers would stay with me.

    I love how my speakers are but I would upgrade my phonostage first with a Chinook or Aria first but the plan I am going for. I'll go with the Chinook.

    Upgrade path would be Phono Stage>Integrated Amp>TT Last.

    What are your thoughts?
     
    Echoes Myron likes this.
  6. I tried the Ania on my RP8. Had one that went bad and so I'm back with the Exact which I seriously like better. A Hana will probably be my next cart. Aria Stage
     
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  7. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    If you are able to go with the Chinook SE do it. Like I said I love the Aria but Chinook is a game ender for me.
     
  8. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Also have you heard Primaluna? Great synergy with the Chinook esp. after 100 hours. Sorry, back on topic :)
     
  9. Sugar Man

    Sugar Man Forum Resident

    C'mon Echoes, are you sure that the Chinook is your "game ender"? :nauga:

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. CodyW

    CodyW Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, New York
    I found that I preferred the Exact on my RP6 over the Ania. I think the Ania needs a better turntable than the RP6 to really show what it capable of doing. I found the Ania to be much more precise and enjoyable on the RP8 and P8. That said, the P6 might be good enough over the RP6 to be worth trying the Ania. The Exact is an easy, all-round great sounding cartridge that will sound great on most records.
     
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  11. gfong

    gfong Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I did a detailed write up on here of my RP6 Exact and Ania cart then compared it to my new P6 Ania combo. I used my Aria stage for both tests.

    I found that my P6 Ania combo came out ahead for detail and clarity. Great combo when combined with the Rega Aria stage.
     
    Echoes Myron likes this.
  12. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    I am beginning to wonder if the Ania needs a better phono stage than most folks are using with it Might also be a hair too honest It’s not going to sugarcoat a questionable recording
     
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  13. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    I’ve heard more negative reviews of the Ania than any other Rega product short of the Elys. I wonder if you’re right...or if it’s the cart
     
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  14. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    I love mine. I am using a Sutherland phono stage. Michael Fremer declared it a budget reference in his rave review of the new P8. And brother, that was a rave from Michael.
     
    james likes this.
  15. rpd

    rpd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    Totally agree here. I am so ready for the P10 upgrade, but might never want to give the looks of my P9 up....
     
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  16. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    I will probably drool on my keyboard a few times over the P10, but barring a few convenience store holdups, I probably will never be able to afford one. Plus, I am too old and slow to get away from the cops. I wonder if they would let me take a P10 to my cell. :D
     
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  17. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    That P10 would be too bright/analytical for a cell
     
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  18. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    Probably wouldnt go over to well if I asked for a drill to wall mount it either. Guess I better keep my 6. :)
     
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  19. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    That’s what I have. It’s an amazingly flexible phono stage. I think moving coil cartridges actually sound best/most natural on this through the MM input.
     
    Echoes Myron likes this.
  20. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I am more interested in what comes after the P10. There have been hints of a P12.

    Not that I am planning to upgrade... RP10 pretty much does it for me! That ceremic platter and RB2000 tonearm make very sweet music for sure. And yeah, my RP6/Exact sounds pretty darn good too.
     
  21. swvahokie

    swvahokie Forum Resident

    Keep telling yourself that. I want a P14
     
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  22. Conster

    Conster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    How did it go bad? In which ways did you prefer the Exact over the Ania?
     
  23. I got distortion after 2 months and then one channel cut out completely.

    Thought it was my amp or cables or stage. I trouble shooted for a week and then my local turntable cart guru came by and swapped back to an older Exact I had and everything was perfect and sounded great. Really do like the Exact. Sweet and warm.

    After a couple weeks he found out there was a bad batch of Anias that possibly missed some layer during their manufacturing. Had some issues with a series of them. Apparently corrected soon afterwards.

    I found the Ania I had was thin and brittle at times. Not sure if it was just the specific one I had.

    He suggested I try the new Hana which he really likes. I will switch later in the year as I now have a 750 credit with him. The Hana is about $1200. But for now I’m loving my older exact.
     
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  24. Tartifless

    Tartifless Forum Resident

    Location:
    France
    The Ania is a very good cart, the only issue I had with it is surface noise vs the exact that was far more silent with older records.

    I just saw the price of the Hana ML, it is 1090€ here vs 690 for the SL... So they consider the micro line stylus is 60% better than the Shibata ?
     
  25. chromewaves

    chromewaves Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    I had a P3-24 with an Exact for years and recently upgraded to a P6 with Ania. So not exactly a direct comparison, but I think I'm familiar enough with the Exact to offer some thoughts.

    The Exact is quite a warm, but still detailed cartridge that tracks very well. You'll read a lot of people recommending against it, but I think that's because of its unreasonably high list price - taken on its sonic merits it's great, but at $700 CDN, you can absolutely do better for the money.

    I love my Ania - it might be a little worse on surface noise but the extra detail and clarity is delightful. Unfortunately I had one of the bad batch, it seems, because after maybe two months and just when it was starting to break in I lost the left channel completely. Pretty disappointing as I had to bring the deck back to the retailer and they sent it back to the Canadian distributor, but to their credit they had it replaced and back to me in a week and a half. Not bad. I daresay the new cart sounded better than the old one right out of the box and I haven't quite reached the 50 hours minimum for break-in, but from what I was hearing before my first cart died, it's a pretty dramatic improvement.
     
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