Who it comes up against
12 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Twin Arms
Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on bass weight.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025
powerful dynamicsvdH Frog reviews
6 lost · BBC Sound, Characterful, Intimate
Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on rhythmic grip.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025
quite forceful on transientsTAS — Crimson XGW Stradivarius
4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on bass weight.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up bass weight under the Anchored weighting.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025
4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on rhythmic grip.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up rhythmic grip under the Artisan weighting.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025
dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus
2 lost · Vocals-First
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot clearly.
With the Cyrus Classic PHONO, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
super rich and spaciousStereophile (Reichert) 2026
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Romantic
Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on bass weight.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up bass weight under the Romantic weighting.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring Eroica LX MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring 1042 MM keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot clearly.
With the Cyrus Classic PHONO, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
never sounds harsh or aggressive, yet beautifully detailedAudiophilia review (Sep 2025)
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · BBC Sound
Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC, the pairing gives up most on rhythmic grip.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Rega Nd9 MM is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC gives up rhythmic grip under the BBC Sound weighting.
details and texture in herculean bassThe Ear (Selley) 2025