Ortofon 2M Black on the way

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Jeff at A/V Solutions finally tempted me beyond my ability to refuse. I have been wanting to try the Ortofon 2M Black moving magnet phono cartridge with the Shibata tip. I think my Micro Seiki turntable needs a new friend, and it is overdue for a newer generation cartridge. It will be interesting to see if this improves my attitude about vinyl. Looking forward to the Ortofon 2M Black's arrival.

Any particular reason you went with MM vs MC?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Stillone

Any particular reason you went with MM vs MC?

Jim.......I have listened to five different turntables with moving coil cartridges, three with McIntosh pramplifiers (C2300 and C1000P), one with a Tandberg preamplifier, and two with outboard phono stages (don't remember the makes, but not extreme high dollar pre/pre's). I listened to the Sumiko Blue Point and the Blackbird. and was offered the Blackbird secondhand at a great price. I have auditioned the Denon DL-103R, the Benz Micro Glider and the Benz Ace. I realize none of these MC cartridges are at the high-end of the MC catagory, but hearing them gave me the opportunity to form an opinion. My experience with these cartridges was similar with all, a certain dryness, an etched character to the sound, and an exaggerated top end is how I describe what I was experiencing. Honestly, after all the MC hype I have read and heard, I expected much more than was delivered. There was also a higher background noise level from the MC phono stages than I am use to with a higher output moving magnet cartridge. I liked the Benz Micro Glider sound the best, but it did not surpass my two moving magnet cartridges at a level that warranted a $1K expenditure, IMO.

There is a huge moving coil bandwagon pounding the proverbial drum, churning the printed media, extolling the superiority of moving coil cartridges over moving magnet cartridges. The constant drone of all the hoopla doesn't impress me. Furthermore, I am not willing to turn over $3K or more to get to that exalted level of moving coil performace. I have had excellent results for many years with moving magnet cartridges, and prefer the higher output, quieter background, and the option of user replaceable stylus should one be needed.

There have been many advances in moving magnet technology through the years, including higher quality materials, improved assembly technics, and extended frequency response. The price range between $500 and $1K in the moving magnet arena is populated with a nice quantity of excellent cartridges.

[AudioNut]

I've been using higher end moving coil cartridges for many (probably 15) years and have had exceedingly good results. However, I haven't tried a moving magnet cartridge for about the same period of time, so I really don't know what the differences would be.

Based on what Dan has written, I am very willing to look and learn and possibly try another MM cartridge in my system.

The biggest problem I have encountered with MC cartridges is the very high cost of stylus repair/replacement. I'm now using a Graham Nightingale II cartridge in my main system, which my cleaning lady damaged while dusting my turntable (after having been told dozens of times never to touch the thing) and the cost of repair is some $1400 plus the cost of shipping to the manufacturer (Immutable Music, also the maker of Transfiguration cartridges) in Tokyo, Japan. I'm still using the thing, although slightly mis-aligned, but every time I play a record, I'm sure it is gouging the vinyl or something. (It does sound good, though)

I also currently have a Benz Ruby 3 cartridge on its way back from The Soundsmith, who repaired a broken left channel (cost of re-soldering the wires was over $400.00). Van den Hul re-tipped my Koetsu cartridge a couple of years ago for a bunch of money, and the horror stories go on.

For the cost of repair, I could buy several very good MM cartridges. (plus maybe a user replaceable stylus or two)

Y'all help - please give suggestions of good MM cartridges. I think I am ready to make a change.

Julian

[jdandy]

The Ortofon 2M Black, and the 2M Red were briefly reviewed in The Absolute Sound.

Here is the link. Be sure to click NO when asked if you want to view only the web page content delivered securely. Otherwise the article will not load.

https://system.netsuite.com/core/med...639d2&_xt=.htm

[cmalak]

I believe the Clearaudio Maestro that Serge owns and started out with on his Clearaudio table is one of the highly reviewedd MMs as well. It will set you back $1000 and is probably at the upper end of MM price ranges. There is a huge thread on Agon on MM vs MC coil cartridges. Here it is for those interested: AudiogoN Forums: Who needs a MM cartridge type when we have MC?

The original poster - Rauliruegas - is not a native English speaker so his posts are sometimes a bit hard to follow but he is one of the Analog gurus on Agon and is often cited and he maintains ala Dan that there are plenty of good MMs that deliver great performance at a much better price-to-performance point. The thread has 1928 posts as proponents of each technology duke it out, so it is not a quick read. Enjoy

[jdandy]

Cyril.......I would agree with you that the Clearaudio Maestro Wood is a very fine moving magnet cartridge. Several members use this cartridge, most notably Serge and Alberto. Both have spoken highly of its sonic virtues. Correct me if I am wrong, but the one drawback I see with the Clearaudio Maestro Wood is no user replaceable stylus. Like Julian pointed out, accidents happen. I don't want to have to ship my cartridge body off to a manufacturer to replace a damaged or worn stylus. I am only guessing here, but I would imagine the cost is somewhere in the neighborhood of $650 to install a new stylus on a Maestro Wood. That would not surprise me at all. Then you have to go through the cartridge set up process all over again. I find this to be a disadvantage.

[cmalak]

Dan...I believe you are right. I checked on Clearaudio's site as well as Musical Surroundings' (Clearaudio importer in the US) site and I did not see any mention of user-replaceable stylus, so you would probably have to send the cart back in for a stylus replacement. I do not know the cost of doing so. I was just pointing out the Clearaudio Maestro for Julian as another high quality MM cart option for him to check out. Your 2M Black is highly reviewed and is a Class B Stereophile recommended cart (not that you should go by that as you say) but it has received a lot of praise since it has come out . Your ears and the fit in your system is the most important and final arbiter of cartridge choice.

One quick question for you Dan, when you listened to the Benz Micro Glider S, do you remember if it was the Low, Medium or High output version. That is the cart I am contemplating for the VPI Classic (which I am still waiting on my dealer to get so I can audition it!) as it comes highly recommended by my dealer. But depending on the phono stage you use it with and the output version of the cart, you will get varying results (i.e., if you used the low output version = 0.3mV with a phono that does not have enough gain for a LO MC cart, then you will have to dial up the volume signifcantly and you will hear a lot of background noise).

I don't know what you found when you listened to all the carts you mentioned in an earlier post but it's so hard to compare carts because unless you listen to them all at the same dealer on same table, tonearm and phono, it is too hard to compare because you have more than one variable changing making comparisons difficult. Any thoughts on this? Thx Dan.

[jdandy]

Cyril.......The Benz Micro Glider was the medium output model, through the moving coil phono stage of the C2300 with stock McIntosh tubes. The turntable was a Pro-Ject RM10 with the 10" carbon fiber Pro-Ject 10cc arm. The turntable is in a friend's system in St. Marys, Georgia, with the C2300, MCD500, MC501's, and B&W 802D's.

I think one of the reasons I found myself liking the Benz Micro Glider is because I was able to listen to it in a home environment for a few hours. Several albums played were the same ones I own. I will admit, the Benz Micro Glaider does sound very good, but I still felt it had a little tinge of top end edge. Seperation was excellent, and bass was controlled and solid. He said the turntable and cartridge were set up by his dealer, so I have to assume it is near correct. Some of the bright top end I experienced may have been exaggerated to some degree by the tweeters on the 802D's. The have a lot of shimmer.

I could not agree with you more about trying to effectively compare cartridges. Many dealers show rooms that I have visited didn't have a single turntable set up. They sold cartridges from their display cases without the ability to audition them. Of course I have not auditioned the Ortofon 2M Black, so that did not stop my purchase.

[cmalak]

Thx for the feedback Dan. I am hoping I will be able to audition the Benz Micro Glider S with the exact setup that I will end up purchasing so I should know what it sounds like without guessing or taking a leap of faith (assuming i like it and the the VPI Classic). The fallback for me will be the Dynavector 20X cart which is known to be a good fit with VPI's JMW tonearms.

I am sure you will have a blast with the 2M Black. Looking forward to pics and your impressions of the cart once you have it set up. It's always fun when a new piece of gear enters the system and gives you a slightly different presentation, allowing you to re-appreciate your musical collection from a slightly different perspective. It's cliche but it is kind of rediscovering your own music or reigniting an interest in your music. I hope it does that for you and more.

[jdandy]

Cyril.......I spun vinyl for over twenty years as my primary source. That is why I have always kept a turntable, if for nothing more than nostalgia. I still spin vinyl but not very often. Perhaps the new cartridge will reignite the old passion.