Cartridge upgrade advice

I think I still have some time left in my 2M Red, but I want to upgrade my cartridge soon. I'm not too concerned with price. I just want the best cartridge that would be a good match for this table.....

Modded Thorens TD 165

- Dynamat treatment underneath

- added new faceplate and arm board

- added heavier plinth and painted it

- added base board and rubber feet

- added rega rb202 tonearm and ortofon 2M Red cartridge

I have been looking at the Rega Exact 2 and the Ortofon Bronze. Someone on a facebook group mentioned the Sumiko Songbird, which I don't know much about. Any suggestions/opinions?

 

That’s a beautiful table! Would need to know about the rest of your system, what kind of music you enjoy and lastly, most importantly, what’s your budget, to make a recommendation.

 

So you want to stay in roughly the sub $500 price range? Are you wanting to stay with MM or are you also open to MC?

 

Thank you! I've been working on the thing off and on for a while. I am using a little bear tube preamp, a Sony reciever, and a couple bookshelf speakers that I can't remember the name brand of. I mostly listen to rock and metal. I would say my budget is $1,000 max.

 

I can go over $500, but If you recommend one in that range, that would be fine with me. I guess I need to do more research. I'm not very familiar with MC cartridges and their differences from MM cartridges.

 

I'd say that either of those would be a great fit. They both have a good mix of resolution, tracking, and a touch of warmth or at least a lack of a brittle top end. They will smoke the Red and really take the system to another level.
-Bill

 

Keeping it simple; the Exact 2 would pair well with your tonearm and suit your needs and budget. Although if you’re not entirely blown away by your bookshelf speakers, you could get the Ortofon Bronze and some Monitor Audio Bronze 2s.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I think I'm leaning towards the Bronze....

 

If this is the first time you're going for a $500 cart....be prepared for a shock if you're coming from a red ;-). I say that in a good way!

 

Grab the Zephyr mk3 from Elusive disc. $899 for a $1500 cart. I hope they have some left in early February when money frees up. Do yourself a favor and read up on Soundsmith and the advantages of "fixed coil" cartridges. As an added bonus, Peter will rebuild these for 20% or less than MSRP (for this cart $299) for the life of the cart. Truly amazing bargain. (The only reason they are closing them out is he devised a slightly different body design for all his carts, so these are being phased out).

 

I'll check that out. Thanks!

 

If you decide on it, please let me know. I have heard nothing but great things, but this would be a SIGNIFICANT purchase for me, so still on the fence.

 

It is hard to pinpoint. But some manufacturers have their own sound signature. That you more or less will like or not.
I have ortofon 2m black but I upgraded to a nagaoka mp-110 (I am not the first one that has done this transition)
And could not be happier. For me and my sound preferences the 2m black had maybe a much more flat frequency reproduction. But it was so boring (!) and unengaging for me and then I found the nagaoka.
And I discovered that the 2m black was pricey to change stylus and you didn't even got a boron cantalever. Just a low end aluminium for that premium price but yes it got a shibata.. but then you need to be better than Mr Fremer to set it up!

Comparison with nagaoka you get more cartridge (and stylus) for the buck and not only it sounds better in my ears. Recommend that you look at some YouTube shout-outs of cartridges. Some of them has captured their sound signature. So you don't get disappointed.
When it comes the time for replacing the stylus I will upgrade to the MP-200 stylus with boron cantalever for a better sound and with a fraction of the cost.
There is mp-300 that you can later upgrade the stylus to mp-500 if you like that. (They use the same body)

 

It’s hard to think of that as an upgrade. 2m Black to MP500 would be an upgrade. But the main thing is that it works for you. What turntable are you using?

 

Yes it is hard if you only look at the price tag and the shape of the diamond.
I got seduced by it to. I thought "wow a 2m top of the line with shibata!"
Otherwise what special or features do we get with the 2m black. Nothing. It is a MM shibata with aluminium cantalever exactly the same as the mp-110 but it has a elliptical (yes it could be a nicer one) and it is a MI.
Yes the design and looks of the 2M black is much more attractive in my opinion. But the plastic mould do not have much to do with the sound quality.
It is two different companies that have different ways to with their offerings. But I think that the 2M Line scale fast in price but not so much in features. So just looking at the price you would think you will get your money worth.
I use a TD316 that has new silver wires in the tone from the cartridge among others.

 

Putting an mp200 stylus is not very wise. You can put an mp200 stylus on an mp150 body no problem. Or an mp500 stylus on mp300 body. Mp100 and mp110 are also interchangeable.

 

Putting an mp200 stylus on an mp110 body is not very wise...is what I wanted to write in my post above (no post editing possible after 30mins)

 

I have seen a number of comments and reviews that claim the MP200 is the sweet spot in the Nagaoka lineup. And also the best bang for the buck. The 300 and 500 apparently require very careful consideration to the rest of the components.