Rega's Nd3 and Nd5 Cartridges Take Center Stage in Tone Audio
Posted by The Sound Organisation on Jan 30th 2025
The Rega Nd-series of cartridges launched in mid-2024 and have been making their way into turntables across America in the past few months. Featuring the first use of an ultra-high-powered neodymium magnet in a moving-magnet cartridge, Rega's Nd-series offers a massive increase in performance without having to step up to the moving coil format. Longtime Rega fan Jeff Dorgay of TONE Audio recently had the opportunity to take the Nd3 and Nd5 cartridges for a spin and give us his thoughts on Rega's new MM cartridges.
One of the first major notes Jeff offers in his review is the price. The Nd5 replaces the Exact 2 cartridge in the line-up, and even with the technological advances, the price is still modest at $675, less than $100 more than the Exact. While price is often at the top of mind for many buyers, there are more impressive improvements from the Exact 2. The Exact 2 cartridge featured 1800 turns of high-gauge wire, comparatively heavy compared to the new Nd5. Using only 1275 turns of miniscule 38 micron wire, Rega is able to greatly reduce the weight and inductance of the cartridge's generator, increasing the high-frequency output and maximizing the range of the magnet's movement.
But what does that mean for the listening experience? Both the Nd3 and Nd5 expand the size of the sound stage and extract more detail from the vinyl. In fact, the difference from the previous generation of MM cartridges gives the new Nd-series much more of a moving coil cartridge sound profile. Here's what Jeff had to say:
"The new cartridges expand the size of the sound field generated in all directions, but most importantly, there is more find detail everywhere. And consequently, acoustic music feels more natural and correct. String quartets feel more alive, guitars pluckier, and piano more smoother and solid...the lower mass, combined with the increased power of the N55 magnets, gives these cartridges much more of a moving coil feel. Yet the simplicity of not needing a step-up device is another reason the ND cartridges are an excellent alternative to an MC cartridge."
To wrap up the review, Mr. Dorgay leaves us with a question: Journey or Destination. While some may love the challenge of perfecting their sound system to match their listening tastes and searching out the ultimate new piece of kit that takes their system to the ultimate level, others may just want a system that is perfectly pleasant from out of the box. Combining a Rega P2 or P3 with the Nd3 or Nd5 cartridge does just that; giving you amazing detail, clarity, and performance without the pursuit of finding the next gizmo or upgrade to complete your system.