The ultimate in micro-engineering and design
Rega Aphelion 2 is the Reference MC cartridge with boron cantilever, Fine Line nude diamond stylus, ultra-low-mass generator and one-piece black-anodised aluminium body.
Aphelion 2 represents the fourth generation of Rega moving-coil cartridges and takes the solutions developed with Aphelion and Apheta 3 to a higher level. The generator uses an iron micro-cross and a hand-wound coil directly on the boron cantilever, together with an ultra-high-power miniaturised neodymium magnet. The Fine Line nude diamond stylus is mounted at 90 degrees, a solution intended to increase rigidity and control of the moving system.
Key features
- Black-anodised aluminium body machined to extremely tight tolerances
- Boron cantilever
- Fine Line nude diamond stylus
- Iron micro-cross assembly with hand-wound coil
- Ultra-high-power miniaturised neodymium magnet
- 0.018 mm coil wire
- Rega three-point mounting system
Ultra-low-mass MC generator
The Rega design eliminates the conventional tie wire and associated foam damping element, using a diamond-shaped cantilever pivot instead. The iron micro-cross and coil are built to minimal dimensions to reduce moving mass and allow the system to react quickly to groove modulations. The dedicated neodymium magnet generates the required field without heavier magnetic structures, keeping the entire generator compact.
Body and mechanical precision
The body is machined from a single block of high-quality aluminium to extremely tight tolerances. Precision is particularly important in the geometric relationship between the pivot bore and magnetic-system bore, because alignment of these elements determines correct cantilever and coil movement. The black-anodised finish completes a structure designed to be rigid, stable and free from unnecessary joints.
Stylus and operating parameters
The Fine Line nude diamond stylus is mounted on the boron cantilever and designed to follow the finest record modulations accurately. Nominal output is 350 microvolts, specified load impedance is 100 ohms and tracking force is 1.9 g. Mass is 6 g. Aphelion 2 is intended for low-noise MC phono stages and Rega positions it as a complement to its Reference turntable range.
Mounting and integration
Rega three-point mounting stabilises the connection between cartridge and headshell on compatible tonearms and reduces the possibility of small movements during installation. The rigidity of the one-piece body and boron cantilever works with the low generator mass so that movement detected by the stylus is transferred to the coil without adding conventional elastic elements along the mechanical path.
