Bent Cantilever - Replace or fixed?

So I was working on my Ortofon 2m Blue cartridge, and I accidentally bent the cantilever quite severely (I know, I should have put on the stylus protector). Shockingly, I was able to bend it back forward, and the stylus appears to be straight. More surprisingly, the damage doesn't seem to have an audible effect on playback. So far, I have only tried it out on a record that isn't mint but is one of my test albums. I took a poor photo with my iPhone camera but I think you'll get the idea of the damage. The cantilever looks cracked. Should I not chance this and replace it ASAP? Thanks.

 

It will certainly affect the sound and might damage your records and even if you don't mind or hear, it seems bad enough for it to eventually break completely sooner rather than later. If I were you I will start searching for a replacement

 

It might still work, but with the cantilever tube being cracked more than 50% through, you lose the rigidity and strength to both transmit audio through the tube well, and likely just have a few more drops onto the platter before it breaks.

Knowing the damage is near the pivot point where added mass would have less impact, and knowing the stylus is otherwise a near loss, one might try to repair the damage area. About the only repair I could imagine being both executable and feasibly resilient is to mix up a little bit of JB Weld metal epoxy, and paint the slightest bit of it into and over the crack with a toothpick with a light touch.

 

Replace now. Don't even think about trying to "repair" this - it's stuffed.

 

It's done! Save yourself the trouble and the possibility of damaging records and get a new one. Sometimes you get a deal on replacing them and they knock a few hundred off the price.

 

What is peace of mind worth these days?

 

Replace. Impossible to align correctly.

 

You guys are right. Just very frustrating and costly mistake. Especially since the replacement stylus is near the cost of an entire new cartridge.

 

Of course, there is also the temptation to try another cartridge around the same price. Though I was quite fond of my Blue.

 

yea been there done that. I broke my 1st AT-OC9ML completely off once. I think I got like $50 off when I replaced it. So it may be worth a call if you want another blue.

 

And any repair facilities that specialize in retipping and rebuilding MC cartridges would find a stylus repair out of their comfort zone and well out of the cost of the replacement stylus anyway.

 

I purchased it at Music Direct. Not sure if they would discount me a new one due to my own clumsiness.

 

$154 from Thakker, a little more than a Saturday night beer budget, but not the end of the world. There's people here that spend more than that on records every week, and no I'm not talking about myself

 

They might give you a trade in discount for a 2M Bronze.

jeff

 

Looks to me like it's still bent a little.

 

Good news is I think you can just replace the tips on the ortofon carts.

Don’t feel bad. I’ve borked an expensive cart before too.

 

That moment when youre even more thankful you got a Nag 110 instead of a 2M Blue. Styli are a third of the price a full cart costs, at least through Ebay. Should perform similarly as well. Might be worth a try.

 

I have been actually researching the Nagaoka 110 and been considering a purchase. Just curious if I would be disappointed since I've gotten so use to the 2m Blue sound.

 

If you been around analog long enough, you are more than likely have had something like this happen. Not everyone of course, but its usually a matter of time where a slip, an ill timed sneeze, or a brain fart catches up with you. Yeah it sucks, but don't beat yourself up too bad about it as its an inherent danger of owning analog gear.

One other thing that you could do is send the cartridge off for retipping to someone like Andy Chong. It might cost you about the same as a replacement stylus from Ortofon, however you will get a much higher quality diamond and cantilever in the process. Which means you get improved sound quality because it can pull more information out of the record. The down side is that its easier to damage because the mass is lower, but that is par for the course for better cartridges. The cheap ones have cantilevers the size of an aluminum soft ball bat, the good ones have ones more akin in size to a fishing pole.

Phono Cartridge Repair and Retipping

Regards
Mister Pig

 

Most seem to agree on that they are on the same level. Some say that they sound a little different though, with the Nag being smoother and warmer and the Blue being more neutral, whatever that means. More bass perhaps?
I think you would be happy with it since the rest of your setup seems up for the task.

 

No recovery from that damage. I did same with M95HE. Unbelievable!

 

For the price, I am leaning on giving the Nagaoka a shot in the system. If I don't like it perhaps I can sell it here and go back to the Blue.

 

Well there are many who want one so Im sure you could get rid of it easily and for a good price.

 

I had a Nagaoka MP-110. I bought four new cartridges at the same time to audition. Grado Green was far superior and especially so in the midrange, but not a great tracker on my test record. No issues on regular recordings though. I did change to a 6 gram head shell on my medium mass tone arm for better tracking as Grado likes lighter medium mass tone arms. The MP-110 was just too soft sounding on tube gear that is not aggressive in the first place plus did not provide that 'wow' factor. I settled on a AT VM540ML & sold all four cartridges. The VM540ML is a very good cartridge & killer deal for $250 if you have a few extra dollars. If not, go Grado Green.

 

Maybe thats why you need more sharp performing carts, because the rest of your tube system is so smooth?
Probably would fair differently on his setup.