The story of Elys is an interesting and mysterious one. Years of self-isolation in the mountains of Switzerland during COVID without a cantilever to stand on. Her twin has finally returned from lockdown and shown herself to be fit and ready for battle in the cartridge wars, namely the Rega Elys 2.

Out of the ashes...

rega planar 3 fitted with an elys 2 mm cartridge

After almost 2 years in the wilderness, Rega have managed to rejuvenate an old favourite of theirs, the Rega Elys 2 MM cartridge.

For most of that time, the Elys 2 had become the stuff of urban legend, being spotted as often as Bigfoot in the Swiss Alps. It could just have been that the strange wailing noises heard in the hills was not the legendary Abominable Snowman, but a cry for help from our long lost Rega Elys 2 cartridge.

Reacquainting ourselves with an old friend

rega planar 3 with a rega elys 2 cartridge side view

So finally having one in stock was an ideal time to compare it with a cartridge that had become an old stalwart replacement for the Rega Elys 2 during its wilderness years, that of the tried and trusted Audio-Technica VM95ML(Micro-linear) MM cartridge.

We have found the Audio-Technica VM95ML to be an excellent match for the Rega Planar 3 turntable we have it on demonstration here at Audio T Brighton. It had become the standard recommendation for our customers in the absence of the Rega Elys 2 and we have fitted so many of them that the Audio-Technica VM95ML has often been in short supply itself.

rega planar 3 fitted with an audio technica vm95ml cartridge

Rega v Audio Technica

rega moving magnet range: carbon, elys2 and exact

So before we make any comparisons between these two wonderful cartridges, it may be helpful to reacquaint our readers with the various models in each range.

Rega has three cartridges in its moving magnet range. The hierarchy from budget to more serious is: Rega Carbon, Rega Elys 2 and finally the Rega Exact.

Audio Technica has four cartridges in its moving magnet range: Audio Technica VM95E, Audio Technica VM95EN, Audio Technica VM95ML and the Audio Technica VM95SH

audio technica vm95 moving magnet range: vm95e, vm95en, vm95ml and vm95sh

In terms of price hierarchy, the base models of Rega and Audio Technica are pretty equivalent in terms of cost/performance. Above that the Audio-Technica range are clearly delineated by the difference in stylus profile, the cartridge bodies being identical. These are clearly visible on the boxes and makes for interesting viewing. All I can say is that it definitely affects the sound, something you would expect given the physical differences in tracking as a result of each profile.

You can read another Audio T blog that demystifies the differences between the Audio-Technica VM95 family members Here.

Rega don’t giveaway their “secret sauce” other than the name and colour of the cartridge in question and there are no stylus profiles available to view on the packaging.

So how did the Elys 2 get on?

In order to test our cartridges, we used the MM phono stages of a Naim Supernait 3 and Rega Elex-R amplifiers into a pair of walnut Proac Response DB1’s wired with Naim NAC A5 speaker cable.

ProAc DB1 Speakers in Cherry Finish.jpeg

The Rega Elys 2 continues to give the Rega “house” sound, where tone and emotive expression come to the fore over technical prowess. Listening to Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” and the track So What, his trumpet comes through beautifully, with a natural tone and warmth. Comparing the Audio-Technica VM95ML brings far more detail and raspiness to the sound of the trumpet, with a wider gamut. Arguably, the VM95ML is the more technically virtuous of the two, but one cannot help but relax into his sound with the Elys 2.

proac db1’s playing some miles davis and tom waits

On Tom Waits album “Heartattack And Vine”, the track Til the money runs out highlights the extra detail within his voice using the VM95ML, with a deeper but less controlled bass than the Elys 2 and a more extended treble and strangely, less noticeable surface noise. There must be something in this “micro linear” stylus profile after all.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other...

As with all things hi-fi, what we hear on an individual level is very different for each of us. We all like different sonic characteristics and these may change depending what mood you’re in, the time of day, genre of music etc.

There is no doubt the the Rega Planar 3 with Rega Elys 2 is a wonderful pairing that puts expression and tone ahead of hi-fi details. It is easy to hear why one might be won over by this award winning combo.

To further wet your whistle, so to speak, Rega offer a discount on factory fitted packages of a Rega Planar 3 with Elys 2 and for even better performance, a Rega Planar 3 with Exact cartridge.

Ania has the last word...

Albeit not part of this articles original remit, I thought it may be useful to gain perspective in terms of upgrades within the Rega range.

We have been testing a Rega Planar 6 with Rega Ania MC cartridge on behalf of a customer. This combo “smokes” our aforementioned Rega Planar 3 plus either cartridge, with a massive increase in detail, refinement and tonal density. This is a very subjective opinion of course and your mileage may vary. And not to mention that the Planar 6 is an altogether different beast to the Planar 3.

Of course, the only way to really tell is to listen, so feel free to book a dem with us to hear this for yourself with some of your own records.

Thanks for reading - Ade, John and Paul - Audio T Brighton

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