Vinyl Salvation....The Ortofon 2M Blue.

I switched to the blue on my MMF 5.1SE and it came with my Music Hall Ikura.
It sounds a bit better on the 5.1 but produces a good sound in both cases.
As for picking up any extra noise, I haven't heard much out of the ordinary.
When I do, an extra pass through the Spin Clean takes care of it.

 

DL-110

yes, yes...IMHO...

 

I went from an Ortofon OM5E to the 2M Blue about a year ago, and the difference was unbelievable. Every aspect of the recording sounds better, and inner groove distortion is next to non-existent. One of the best audio moves I've made yet.

 

I've been thinking of giving the 2M series another go (used to have a Black for a short while) but this is what gives me great pause.

As great as the Black was in many areas, I found it to be terribly unforgiving. I have run Dynavectors (10x5 and 20x2), Denon (Dl-110), Rega (Elys) and Shure (M97XE) on my two tables (Rega P7 and Thorens TD125mkII w/ SME 3009 series II non-improved) and the 2M Black was substantially noisier than any of the others.

I have considered trying the Bronze but I would hate to run into the same problem I had with the Black, and it sounds like many have.

That said, I appreciate some people/ears are able to get past the noise to appreciate all these carts have to offer.

 

I bought a Project Debut Carbon (I also scored a second-hand acrylic platter and Speedbox for cheap here at the Hoffman forums) with an Ortofon Bronze a little more than a year ago and couldn't be happier.

 

How does the bronze compare to the blue? I have a Music Hall MMF-7.

 

I dont want to seem like Im bagging the bronze, I love the sound. Just keeping options open.
I havent heard a blue so I cant compare. But the bronze is a thing of beauty. Awesome sound.
And part of that trade off may be a little more susceptability to surface noise.
Im sure as you go up and beyond the bronze, you get that same detail and better, and the noise continues to decrease to a certain degree.
I have 90 hours on mine and its really grown into its skin now.

 

The 2M Blue and the PLX-1000 are absolutely dead quiet. I've had absolutely no problems with surface noise or IGD. The only sibilance issues I've had have been on records where this is a known problem (e.g. Patricia Barber's Modern Cool) but it's worlds better than with my previous Audio Technica cart. I love it, and I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to do better for the price.

 

I'm about an hour, or three sides into a new 2m Blue and already it's handling inner grooves that I had sibilance problems with the 2M Red like a champ. But whoa is this stylus bright! Fortunately, I like a little on the bright side, but still I'm looking forward to seeing how it breaks in. Already, it's a definite upgrade and I'm definitely not experiencing anything like low volume or excess noise like some on here have complained about. In my estimation at this early point in time, I am in agreement with most of what I've read: The blue is very much like the red, only better.

 

I found the the cartridge evened out a bit after about 30 hours. I'm sure part of that was me getting use to it but the touch of sibilance it had went away and the bass got more pronounced and mids got a little better which I felt diminished the brightness. I think it's a fantastic cartridge.

 

I have an unopened Blue in the box on a shelf in the closet. My Clearaudio Concept TT came with the Concept MM cartridge and I haven't bothered to switch to the Blue. Maybe I should give it a try....

 

I started with the Bronze on a Music Hall 5.1 and it was magic. Upgraded to the 2M black, initially had some issues and was issued a replacement. The Black has a lot more detail and is less forgiving then the bronze. Both are excellent! Only problem is now I am upgrading my whole system $$$$

 

.... but you can take either one of those cartridges and use them with your next turntable.

 

i ran a red then a blue....IMHO as you go up the ladder when everything is dialed in it sounds great but surface noise with the blue was a big issue for me...I went from the Blue to a Denon 110 and haven't looked back....i don't even know what i did with my blue to tell the truth....

 

Like many here, I went from an Ortofon Red to a Blue.
While I find the sonic upgrade somewhat subtle, it's a much better tracker. Inner grove distortion is pretty much a thing of the past for me, whereas it was a daily problem with the Red.

 

I also find some bad sibilance and igd with my red It's the only complaint I have with my project debut carbon.

 

I had the red for about three months before i began noticing that. Once you do there is no going back. Getting the blue is the only practical solution.

 

Did you notice a huge improvement with the blue?

I don't plan on getting a new cart for several years, but when I do it will definitely be one that is good at tracking.

 

When it comes to the issue of inner groove distortion it made an immediate and definite improvement. When it comes to other ways, I'm still only have about 8-10 hrs on it, so it's too early to say "huge". The detail is clearer. Maybe my ears have simply adjusted but it does seem as if the brightness has toned down and come more in line with the mids and lows. It's already worth the $165 I spent.

For what it's worth, I lived with the red for two years. The blue wasn't something that I jumped on immediately. It was actually the last thing that I upgraded on my debut carbon after the speed box, acrylic platter, and pre amp to the Lounge III.

 

I replaced my 2m red with a blue about 1 1/2 ago. During Christmas, I spilled some wine near my TT and while cleaning it up I noticed a big gunk ball on the 2m blue. Before anyone chimes in, it was my standard and practice to clean the stylus before every session. However, nothing I tried (magic pad, stylus brush) could remove it. I had to take the stylus off, and with a magnifying glass, coax the gunk off with a very thin piece of model plastic. Once off, I could see that the needle had worn down to just a little nub and it was black. I tested it, and it still played well, but out of caution I removed it and replaced it with my old 2m red until I could buy a new blue.

Yesterday, I picked up a new blue, and man what a difference. Wide open sound, depth, bass extension, just spectacular compared to the red and my old blue. I guess the blue had deteriorated at such a slow place, that I failed to really notice the degradation in the sound. This blue, a least for my modest system is a darn fine stylus. I paid $204, which is a lot of money for me (retired, on a pension) but well worth in regard to how it translates the groove. And boy does it groove!

 

Unless someone absolutely doesn't want to touch (remove) their cartridge, I would recommend spending $32 more and get a blue cartridge. That way, you have your red as a backup.

 

Picked up a 2m blue while my Lyra was out for service and I gotta tell you that I wasn't hating life. QC was good, and the SQ was pretty impressive for $220ish. Easy to recommend.

 

I don't quite get that logic. Barring extenuating circumstances the cartridge will last decades. Why spend $32 for something that will very likely stay in a drawer unused and possibly misplaced over the years?

I replaced just the stylus. If my blue snaps I still have my red as a backup if need be. Not buying the blue cartridge didn't change that.

 

For $32 extra you have a spare cartridge that would have a retail value of $100. You might have missed some of the threads where, even expirenced, vinal members have accidently trashed their needles and cartridges, but with MM, it would be mostly the stylus (I agree with you on this point.) But, I do believe in redundancy.

What if you happen across that used turntable at a thrift store, it would beb nice to have a nice cartridge that would be an update for that older turntable, the red would be perfect for this.