VPI Scout owners – what Ortofon cartridge is best bang for buck?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by chazz101s, Jan 27, 2015.

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  1. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I'm soon to be the owner of a brand-new Scout 1.1! (Very exciting in my world as I've owned darned few pieces of brand-new hifi gear.)

    Scout owners, especially those of you who have Ortofon cartridges on your TT now (or those of you who used to have Ortofon carts on a Scout), please give me some guidance.

    My Scout dealer is also an Ortofon dealer. He will install an Ortofon on the Scout 1.1 when it comes to him from VPI. So I have some time to decide WHICH Ortofon cart. (But there are a LOT of 'em, no?)

    The package deal as it now stands would include either an Ortofon Bronze or a Quintet Blue.

    As background, I've owned a Linn LP12 - a "Gen 1" (square orange button/60-hz motor/no mods [no Valhalla, no Nirvana, etc.]) for 20 years. I bought it with an SME 3009 mkIII [?] arm on it and a Shure V15V-MR cart. Later, I went all Linn, putting a Basik LV-X and a K9 on the TT. Later still, I bought an Ittok and had a Karma refurbished by Linn. That last change was probably 10 years ago.

    I give that background to show that I'm not a mega-bucks analog guy. (The Karma before it was refurb'd was free because it had no cantilever. Still it got me a pretty nice cart for an ~$400 fee for the refurb.)

    Scout/Ortofon owners: Would I get significantly more bang for my buck with an Ortofon 2M Black? Or some other affordable MC in the Ortofon lineup besides the Quintet Blue?

    Your experiences with the Scout/Ortofon combination would be very much appreciated!
     
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  2. Dennis0675

    Dennis0675 Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Ohio
    If you get the bronze you can replace the stylus with the black and keep the cartridge when the time comes. I think that is the advantage over the MC is that you can replace just the stylus with an MM.

    Congratulations, you are in a good spot and you really can't make a bad choice with those options.
     
  3. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    The Bronze I owned was a fine cartridge. Like stated above, when the stylus is worn, you can update it to a Black, if you even want to.
     
  4. brooklyn

    brooklyn I'm all ears

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I’ve owned the Scout for a many years now and started off with the Shure M97xe cartridge, the Shure actually
    sounded pretty good for the price on the Scout. I then decided to get the Ortofon 2M Red to see what all the fuss
    was about. I liked the sound quality of the 2M Red better but I didn’t hear a huge difference. Within 6 months
    when I had some extra cash I sold off the 2m Red and bought the 2M Black and paired it up with a Gram Slee
    ERA V phono preamp and have been very happy ever since.

    My advise would be to buy the best Ortofon 2m Cartridge you can afforded and enjoy it. The Ortofon 2M series
    works very well with the Scout Arm.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2015
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  5. dianos

    dianos Forum Resident

    Location:
    The North
    I'd say Blue is best bang for the buck (had it). Bronze is better (have it now) and I really have no plans for Black since I'm so satisfied with Bronze right now.

    The biggest change for me was definitely entering Ortofon with Blue. Skip the Red.
     
  6. The Good Guy

    The Good Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I own a 2M Blue & love it.
     
  7. Sox68

    Sox68 Forum Resident

    I have the Scout also, and the bronze. They work well together and being able to upgrade to the Black is a great option
     
  8. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply.

    Lots of love for the Ortofon 2M moving magnets. Not so much for the less expensive moving coils.

    I'm sensing that the 2M series gives more bang for the buck than comparably priced Ortofon MCs.

    Any other Scout owners care to chime in?

    Thanks again, all.
     
  9. What Ortofon MCs would that be? The MC equivalent to the 2Ms are the Quintet cartridges (same colour coding as the 2Ms), and the are a bit more expensive than the 2Ms. The Candenzas are IIRC even more expensive.
     
  10. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yes, the Quintet series. What do you know about how they sound, please--especially in relation to the 2M series?

    Thanks, Chaz
     
  11. Chris F

    Chris F Well-Known Member

    Keep in mind the Quintet series have only been available since last year whereas the 2M series has been available since ~2008.

    The reviews I have read suggest the quintet is better then the corresponding 2M "color".
     
  12. That's what I read about the Quintets, too. I had a 2M Bronze for 2 months, until one channel went dead and I returned it to the vendor. Until now, I've always had MM cartridges, but i'm making my way into MC territory with a Dynavector 10x5 now. Maybe there's a Quintet in my future.
     
  13. FLEMKE

    FLEMKE Senior Member

    Location:
    CROOK COUNTY IL
    I would try to get up around the 1k range with the new scout. You will be able to hear it.
    Tim
     
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  14. joshbg2k

    joshbg2k Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Very happy with my 2M Black.
     
  15. Mad Dog

    Mad Dog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Scout SE owner here...2M Bronze on mine from day 1. Love it.
     
  16. Mad shadows

    Mad shadows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Karlskrona- Sweden
    Go for the 2m Black, it´s a significant upgrade compared to the 2m Bronze. I have used both and the black is so much more compared to the Bronze.
     
  17. george2210

    george2210 Forum Resident

    Go for the 2m black, best cardridge for the money in the world.
    I have it, so good.
     
  18. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks to all who have replied.

    Recently, this thread has thrown a lot of 2M love on the upper end - the Bronze and the Black.

    I realize that the Quintet MC series is kinda new. Any owners?

    Anybody with a Scout who has lived with both a 2M and a Quintet cart?
     
  19. ripping corpse

    ripping corpse Forum Resident

    Location:
    IN
    Dynavector H/L both sound great.
     
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  20. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    I don't know who your dealer is, but since you're in North Cackalacky, I thought I'd throw out that Lunchbox Records sells Ortophon cartridges. I'm planning on buying an OM Mono next time I go there.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  21. Vernoona

    Vernoona Well-Known Member

    why not go the Cadenza series? the table deserves something nice
     
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