Rega turntables and arms have developed quite a good reputation. But they make some nice carts too, most of the time bundled with their turntables.
A few months ago I got a Rega Exact, the model that sits atop Rega's MM offerings, and mounted it on a Technics SL1200.
The first word that came to mind and has remained true after the past few months -- Dynamic.
The gain from this cart is higher than many MM carts, and it matches well with old solid state or tube pre-amps and amps.
Old records come to life. Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights sounded like it was just recorded yesterday.
The music almost jumps out of the vinyl like the girl on the cover. I won't be surprised if you'd feel like dancing to it..
It is not an analytical sound, nor would I call it neutral. Rather what it does is let the music through. So the second word -- Musical.
Listening to Charlie Byrd's Byrdland, the warmth of the recording is there from the first note. So the Rega Exact is warm, but not in a euphonic, artificial kind of way. Its warm character is natural, like the sound of vinyl is naturally warm.
Therefore the third word -- Analog.
The Rega Exact defies typical audiophile cliches. And it's not just for Rega tables.
System:
Technics SL1200
NAD 304 used as pre-amp with built-in phono stage
Conrad Johnson MV55
LSA 2 towers
MIT interconnect and Rega speaker cables