Description
Ten years of development, a world premiere of the technology - and a result that forces us to reconsider the very idea of the limits of the possibilities of moving magnet cartridges. The Rega Nd9 is the flagship of the Nd line, a cartridge that has proven that a properly designed MM can compete with much more expensive MC models in terms of detail and liveliness of sound.
The entire Nd line is built on Rega's patented technology - the use of super-powerful neodymium magnets in the moving magnet generator design. This unique solution for its class, previously used only in MC cartridges, allowed to achieve significantly higher sensitivity of the generator without increasing the moving mass - the very balance that determines the cartridge's ability to "keep up" with the fastest musical details.
Unlike the younger models of the Nd line, the flagship Nd9 received a cantilever made of boron - an extremely hard and at the same time light material, which Rega uses in its reference model Aphelion 2. Such rigidity is critically important: any microscopic deformation of the cantilever during playback means loss of information, so the boron rod allows the movement of the needle to be transmitted to the generator with virtually no distortion.
The Nd9 needle is an unpolished diamond with a "fine line" profile, made entirely by hand. The minimum tip radius is a few microns - a level of precision that allows the stylus to physically enter the finest recesses of the groove, inaccessible to standard elliptical or even other Nd profiles. This directly translates into a wider soundstage and more accurate channel balance due to the optimized generator geometry and pole spacing.
The Nd9 is the choice for owners of Planar 6, Planar 8 or other quality tonearms who want to get the most out of MM technology without moving into the MC category and the associated boost requirements. This is the cartridge for those who appreciate the lively, rhythmic delivery of Rega, but desire even deeper detail than the younger Nd3, Nd5 or Nd7.
