Noisy Ortofon 2m Blue stylus upgrade

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Spencer Hayashi, May 4, 2016.

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  1. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Just looking for some feedback on a problem I've encountered when I swapped out my 2M Red stylus with the Blue stylus. I am currently running this on a Pro-Ject Carbon Debut DC and with the Blue stylus I am hearing a low rumble that doesn't exist when I use the Red stylus. Could this noise from the Blue be caused by a bad stylus or cartridge that is slightly off with the VTA or because the Red is just more forgiving and not picking up rumble from the deck?
     
    MikeK likes this.
  2. ChuckyBuck

    ChuckyBuck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    Hi Spencer. I made the same upgrade abut 6 months ago. I doubt the rumble is originating at the cartridge. I have a rumble that comes and goes every once in a while but I think it is related to something mechanical. You might try playing with the dust cover lifted. I think that my stylus took a little while to settle in - or maybe it has taken my brain a while to learn to process the added detail - but I'm enjoying the sound more as time goes on.
     
    Spencer Hayashi likes this.
  3. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Great suggestion, I will try the stylus tonight and play lps with the dust cover up. Appreciate your feedback.
     
  4. Perfect sound forever

    Perfect sound forever Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    Does the rumble come from the speakers? It might be the 2M blue cartridge body dragging on the vinyl . Adjust arm height.
     
    Spencer Hayashi likes this.
  5. ChuckyBuck

    ChuckyBuck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    When I hear noise after an upgrade the question I've learned to ask is: "Am I really hearing something new or am I hearing something that was already there better?"
     
    bluemooze and patient_ot like this.
  6. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Rumble most likely from the motor and motor mounts - a well known issue on Pro-Ject TTs with the Carbon/Debut style motor mounts.
     
    katstep and octaneTom like this.
  7. David B.

    David B. Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I strongly suggest you do more than just lift the dust cover "up" when playing a record. Take the thing off completely.

    My son has the same turntable, and we both find it performs far, far better with the dust cover removed entirely during play. When it is simply raised during play, the cover acts like a drumhead and seems to transmit vibration through the hinge assembly right into the plinth.

    We also tried four small tweaks on the turntable, each of which improved the sound (and dropped the noise level) noticeably:

    1. Replacing the supplied felt mat with a Music Hall cork mat ($50);
    2. Loosening the motor-mount screws very slightly ($0);
    3. Placing the entire turntable on the largest-size Ikea Aptitlig bamboo cutting board ($15);
    4. Replacing the supplied Pro-Ject interconnect with an aftermarket RCA cable between the table and phono stage (his is a near-bottom-of-the-line Audioquest -- about $80). We then peeled the ground wire off the Pro-ject cable and used that alongside the aftermarket cable.

    Best of luck. I think your upgrade to the Blue stylus assembly was a very smart first step in extracting all you can from this table.

    --David B.
     
  8. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thank you David, I will definitely explore each of your suggestions. Plus they involve minimimal expense which is exactly what I was hoping would be the case. I'll report back once I go through these steps.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  9. wownflutter

    wownflutter Nocturnal Member

    Location:
    Indiana
    I had a 2m bronze that the cantilever eventually sagged. At the end of the lp, the body would rub the thicker lable area.

    If you have a height issue, it would be much much worse once it reached the runout groove.

    The suspension on the debut is the same as my table. I have always had to deal with a rumble. My guess is, the blue is exposing it more.

    My daughter has a debut and I think the cover should always be completely removed while playing. But, I suspect that this isn't the rumble you are currently hearing.
     
    Bob_in_OKC likes this.
  10. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Definitely hear the rumble with the Blue stylus but it is not an issue with the Red stylus. You could be right about the stylus body dragging ever so slightly closer to the lp than the Red stylus. I'm going to take all of these suggestions and run through them over the next couple of days. Thanks for the feedback.
     
  11. wownflutter

    wownflutter Nocturnal Member

    Location:
    Indiana
    The 2m cartridges ride soooo close to the surface if the lp. If the suspension is compromised at all, I think it will rub the vinyl surface.
    Again, this will show up first in the runout as the body rubs the lable.
    My 2m bronze sounded fine playing an album side, but once it hit the end of the side it sounded horrendous.
    If you determine this to be the case, I would try to get it replaced if it is brand new.
     
  12. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Well after some fiddling around with the Blue stylus, it appears the outer part of the shell is so close to the lp surface that is does rub creating the extraneous noise. Looks like it is the clearance on that one side of the stylus which is not present with the Red stylus. Fortunately I can use the Blue stylus on my Denon turntable where there is no problem with the clearance space between the cartridge and lp surface. Is there an adjustment on the Pro-Ject turntable I can make to increase the space between cartridge and lp ever so slightly or should I leave things as is?
     
  13. wownflutter

    wownflutter Nocturnal Member

    Location:
    Indiana
    I personally would try to get it replaced.
    Is the headshell tilted at all?
     
    Spencer Hayashi likes this.
  14. Spencer Hayashi

    Spencer Hayashi Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks Wownflutter, I will probably just do an exchange for a replacement Blue stylus. I don't think the headshell alignment is tilted askew as I have a couple of Red styluses that seat properly with the correct clearance and I don't trust myself to monkey around with the tilt of the toneam since the Pro-Ject Carbon headshell is not a detachable part. Appreciate your feedback as I wasn't sure of exactly what to look for as the problem's root cause.
     
  15. dbsimon88

    dbsimon88 Active Member

    Location:
    USA
    Hey so did a replacement stylus fix the issue?

    I just ordered the TT and just trying to plan for the future ;)
     
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