Ken Micallef Reviews the Rega Nd3 and Nd5 Catridges
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Jan 7th 2025
Rega made waves in 2024 by releasing three new moving magnet cartridges, utilizing ultra-high powered neodymium magnets in a world first. Developed over 10 years and building up Rega's long history of analog refinement, the Nd series cartridges are hand-made by highly-skilled technicians and incorporate a completely new generator geometry. The use of the high-powered neodymium magnets allow for perfect symmetry which mean you get accurate channel balance, superior linearity, and a far wider soundstage than previously possible. We sent an Nd3 and Nd5 over to Ken Micallef to audition and he reported his findings over at Analog Planet.
To begin his review, Mr. Micallef walks us through the technical and mechanical aspects of the cartridges. While neodymium magnets have been used previously in Moving Coil cartridge designs, this is the first time they've been applied to Moving Magnet cartridges. To achieve this, Rega uses an optimized pole gap and miniaturized parallel coils. The coils are wound in-house by Rega technicians, and use only 1,275 turns of the 38-micron wire. This creates a very light, very low inductance generator. With a tracking force of 1.75 grams and nominal output voltage of 5-6mV, the Nd3 and Nd5 are a perfect fit for nearly any turntable, but come factory-installed on the Planar 3 and Planar 6.
After a quick set-up, Ken jumps into the listening and testing portion of his review. Immediately he is surprised by the the Nd3's "juicy tonality, exhilarating sense of jump and dynamics, and big-ish soundstage." Admitting that the Nd3 wasn't as good as some of the higher-end MC cartridges on the market, he was still impressed by the performance delivered by what is essentially an entry-level MM cartridge.
Moving on to the Nd5, Micallef notes that the performance here is on-par with a moving coil cartridge, but at a moving magnet price-point. The cartridge was so good in fact, that it sucked him into the music and he was whisked away listening to the Nd5 translate some of his favorite recordings to sonic bliss:
"The Nd5 cart presented a more refined sonic character, closer to the nuanced delivery of a moving coil cartridge. This resulted in a more expansive soundstage, enhanced instrument separation and layering, richer tonal qualities, and a more engaging and authentic reproduction of recorded music...Instrumental separation was significantly improved, affording each instrument greater definition, weight, and textural presence. At this point, I forgot my critical role, and became immersed in the music’s vibrant energy, its blood-infused rhythms and accurate tonal reproduction."
In his wrap up, Ken notes that the Nd-series cartridges exemplify Rega's quest for cost-for-dollar value in audio equipment. Using lessons they've learned over the decades with regular refinements and engineering advances, they're able to translate high-end audio equipment into more attainable price points without sacrificing quality. He remarks that while the Nd3 establishes the new benchmark for entry-level MM cartridges, Rega's Nd5 "represents a significant advancement in the field" and beats out cartridges at much higher prices.