The Nd5 is the second of three moving magnet cartridges announced by Rega at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, the first new examples from the company in over a decade. It resembles and is in almost all respects identical to the Nd3 entry level cartridge that we reviewed last earlier in the month, with a PPS body, aluminium cantilever and three point mounting on a fairly bulky body. Where it differs from the majority of MMs including the outgoing Rega models is in the very low inductance coils arranged symmetrically behind the area where tiny neodymium magnets are fixed to the back end of the cantilever. By creating a new way of arranging the coils within the body and using a low 1,275 turns of extremely fine 38 micron wire Rega have managed to reduce the inductance of the generator, this has the effect of increasing the high frequency output that it’s capable of. To achieve this they have used neodymium magnets, specifically N55 types which are the strongest commercially available variety. These are necessary in order for the Nd cartridges to produce a high enough output with so few turns, by comparison the Exact, which the Nd5 replaces, had 1,700 turns in its coils and thicker wire. The other benefit of the Nd design is that there is more space around the magnet at the end of the cantilever, giving it greater potential for movement. MMs have historically always been less capable when it comes to higher frequencies than their moving coil cousins, which means that they have never been considered worthy contenders for those after the best from their vinyl. So Rega’s approach is not insignificant, and combines with the relatively high output of MMs and they’re reputed greater tracking accuracy. It essentially means that you don’t need to spend so much to get a cartridge and phono stage that can deliver the sort of results that have been only available with MCs in the past. While the two Nd models released so far have different coloured bodies the only technical difference between the Nd3 (£175) and Nd5 (£295) is in the stylus, the former has a diamond tip bonded to a titanium shank while the Nd5 has an all diamond stylus with a true ellipse profile. Both have aluminium cantilevers and track at 1.75 grams, and they share outputs in the 5 – 6 mV range that suits MM phono stages with a typical 47 kOhm input impedance.
