I tried my Apheta 3 at 2.0, but it seemed to suck the life out of the music. It sounds much more dynamic in the 1.9-1.95 range. Anyone else experience anything similar? Curious to see what it would sound like at a lower VTF, but I didn't think it was supposed to be run under 1.9.
I have tried 2 grams, but found the sound to get a little 'hard' at that VTF (still sounds good, but not as good as lower VTF.) I am actually using 1.8 grams, I am not experiencing any tracking issues, and the sound is relaxed and more effortless, while still being dynamic and smooth. This is a great cart, imo. One curiosity I have is, the exterior box for my P8/Apheta 3 combo has a factory sticker that lists a 1.75-2 gram spec for the Apheta 3. All the literature on the web and Rega's own site says 1.9-2. I am going with what sounds best, while keeping my ear out for any tracking issues that suggests this is too low.
Thanks for the insight! That's so strange that Rega and the box have such a different spread. So there's no harm in running under 1.9, as long as it's not mistracking? By mistracking; are we just talking an increase in sibilance, or what should I be listening for?
I'm sure others can also jump in here. But, what I mean by mistracking is listening for dynamic high volume passages, like horns, drums, or sharp high frequencies (like sibilants) - if I do not hear any distortion or emphasis in these passages (helpful to have a high quality digital copy to compare your vinyl copy to, as sometimes distortion is inherent in the recording, so can be hard to tell if its your system or the recording) then that is good enough for me.
Perfect, thanks much! Time to do some experimenting this weekend. Out of curiosity, what do you have your anti-skate set at? I never know if I’ve got mine dialed in.
Those settings are given with a Rega phono stage (the Aria or Aura) in mind. I have the Apheta 2 set up according to what Rega says since I'm using the Aria. The sound is more than fabulous. I can imagine when you are using a different phono preamp it' could be worthwhile to try some other settings.
Apheta 2 update. I kept it at 1.87 for a couple years and loved it. My tech went over it and found it tracked best at 2.5 (2.47 on my scale). With the greater VTF, pretty much all sibilance was eliminated (I use track A2 of the KG cut of Joni Mitchell's Blue to test); however, similar to @ThorensSme I found the sound hardened too much--the midrange sounded thick and lost all the sweetness and air. So after a month I moved it down to 1.97. The Joni test track only loses its sibilance and tracks perfectly at 2.2 grams, but I much prefer having the sweeter sound below 2.
Finally settled back to where I started at 1.87 on the Apheta 2...sweetest sound without any hardness in the high end.
hear what your saying but, Just think it keeps threads tidy to stick with the topic, the Apheta 3 is a different animal and evolution of the Apheta series. if this were a general REGA cart thread, fair game. i subscribed to this thread as i own the Apheta 3 and wanted feedback and un updates via email notifications on users settings and any new findings. maybe start the 'Apheta 2' thread which would be great for all Apheta 2 owners as well.
Are you getting a rebate on your Apheta 2? I got $400 when I went from the 2 to the 3 and $500 when I went from the 2 that came with my P8 to my second Apheta 2. Its certainly worth it to work with a vendor that honors Rega's trade in policy.
Yes I got a $500 trade in credit from my dealer. Still running an Apheta 2 for now, but will put the 3 on in the next year or so.
I have owned the Aria, the GoldNote PH-10/PSU-10 combo and the Parasound JC3+. The GoldNote was miles ahead of the Aria. It literally sounded like lifting a veil over the music. (The PSU-10 makes the noise floor disappear as well). I would have stuck with the GoldNote long term if I hadn't had issues with a bad batch of PSU-10s. It took GoldNote 3 months to replace my PSU-10, so I bought a Parasound JC3+. Its sound is very similar to the GoldNote but without the brightness that I experience with the GoldNote on a few albums. One interesting observation. The GoldNote sounds fantastic from the moment it is powered up. The Parasound needs a 15-30 minute warm up to become the gem it is.
Has anyone tried the Manley Chinook phono stage with the Apheta 3? I'm thinking of finally trying something different than the phono input on my EICO preamp. I'd like to keep my setup all tube, certainly open to suggestions. My current setup is the P8 > Altec 4722 SUT > EICO ST-84 > EICO HF-87
yes! I am currently using the Chinook Upscale edition which has a couple extra gain options. I am running a P8/Apheta 3 into it at 80 ohms currently, and still deciding between it and 100 ohms. The Chinook is a fantastic phono stage. Kickass from top to bottom, and very smooth and transparent. Love it. I have also heard the bigger brother steelhead a lot with EMT, Lyra and Koetsu, brings out the good in them all. Will be trying my Bobs Sky 20 SUT with it soon for comparison.
Awesome to hear! Does it still have a nice tubey sound, or is it more SS sounding? Also, does the Steelhead sound all that much better, or does it just have a lot more options/features?
Well, I think the term 'tubey' might mean very different things to people. I think it has all the attributes of great tube gear, great rich tone, sound layering, soundstage. The bass is killer, deep and defined, while the highs are very well controlled and extended. I think it is a killer phono stage. It's sound is close to the steelhead, definitely in the family. The steelhead maybe has better scale and with a bit more resolution (it does have transformers in the MC section), the Chinook is not far behind. The steelhead can handle multiple turntables and can be used as a full preamp, so there is also extra cost there.
Thank you so much for the write-up, that it super helpful! I think I’ve narrowed down my choices to either the Manley Chinook or the Luxman EQ-500. Anyone have any experience with the Apheta 3 / Luxman combo?
Have not heard the Luxman, but isn't it over 2x the retail price of the Chinook? May not be a fair comparison. Have not tried it with an Apheta, but I can say the MM stage of my Chinook makes my Rega Exact sound *almost as detailed as an MC cart. I had planned to replace this Exact with an MC but have kept it ever since I brought in the Chinook. So with this limited sample it seems to play well with Rega. The Chinook is incredible. Detailed, resolving, noise-free, and yes "tubey" imo. I have the SE version from Upscale.
Thanks for the reply, sounds like a great phono stage! Maybe a fairer comparison would be the Steelhead vs. Luxman? I want to make sure I’m making a big enough and noticeable enough jump from my current setup so that I’m not itching to upgrade again in short order.
My dealer installed the Apheta 3 on my RP8 with a force of 2 and a bias of 0. Previously I matched the bias to the tracking force and thought that was recommended practice. What do others here do?
