Ortofon 2m red to blue upgrade

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Craig Spiegel, Sep 8, 2017.

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  1. john lockland

    john lockland Forum Resident

    Location:
    oslo
    Today I upgraded from red to blue 2m, and the first thing I did was to check out the sibilance that annoyed me on Neil Young’s After the Goldrush (the song) on the 2009 pressing. And it was gone! Nice. Worth all the money. What it didn’t change however was the harsh sound on Nick Cave’s Let Live In. Great songs, earsplitting sound.

    So, I’ve got a dumb question: with an expensive (for me at least, I know it’s not that high-end compared to real high-end) needle, should I be careful not to play old vinyl in the G+ to VG grade? Will that make the needle wear much faster? I have lots of trashed looking 60s records that play really well compared to have they look, and I would like to play them without the feeling of hurting the needle. But it is made to be used, anyway:)
     
  2. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    If the records play with lots of distortion or crackles it will wear the stylus and vinyl faster. Im not saying not to play them, its music after all. But if it seems cleanable I would maybe look into an RCM or at least a spin clean, if it allows you to play less prestine records without too much anomalies then it might indeed be a very worthwhile investment. Of course, it wont help worn or damaged grooves.
    If it just looks bad but plays well then its fine.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2018
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  3. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    No.
     
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  4. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    Last night I picked up my new anniversary edition of the 2M Blue stylus. Switching was easy enough, and as it’s a tad lighter than the previous version I had to reset the tracking force.

    I’m loving it right out of the box. I guess I didn’t realize how worn my other one was. Very happy with the Blue.
     
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  5. Chris Schoen

    Chris Schoen Rock 'n Roll !!!

    Location:
    Maryland, U.S.A.
    Don't be afraid to enjoy your less than perfect records. Make sure they are clean, and as long as they don't skip, don't sweat it. Just enjoy.
    No matter what, your stylus will wear. But you can't obsess over it.
     
  6. john lockland

    john lockland Forum Resident

    Location:
    oslo
    Thanks for advices:) I think it’s quite special how good some ice rink looking Parlophone and say Columbia 60s pressing may sound. It’s like they have nine lives.
    Just to correct myself; I misspelled the Cave record, it should of course read Let Love In.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2018
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  7. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Well I noticed that I have bad IGD in a few records with the 2M Blue. When I put the Nagaoka MP-110, it solves it. I use the same alignment for both (54mm overhang and Baerwald from Vinyl Engine).
     
  8. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Did you align the cartridge body or the stylus tip?

    Both carts will have IGD on certain records, no way around it. The 110 may be better at masking records that have damaged inner grooves.
     
  9. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Stylus tip.
     
  10. Nick Brook

    Nick Brook Forum Resident

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK.
    I've been using an older Rega Planar3 for quite some time using both the red and the blue , through a Marantz pm6006 /built in phono and also a basic Project Phone stage/Dali Zensor3 , the difference is there but it's barely discernible. I wouldn't bother paying the extra.
    With the Rega going in to an Icon Audio PP20 , with the Project Phono and Monitor Audio silver6 , the difference is quite noticeable . As an example , listening to virtually any Rush track in which Geddy Lee's bass is on fire but low in the mix, the separate notes are quite distinct , it really does highlight the difference in a busy and slightly mussy heavy rock track, it's not standout on some other parts though . On listening to something like Mark Knoflers Tracker , or something delicate like Susan Vegas first album , it's got more detail across the board .
    In summary , on my most revealing system , the 2m blue has been well worth the expense as it brings more detail clarity everywhere.

    My earlier comments of it sounding slightly duller at the top were totally misleading , I don't why I even thought that and apologise for posting a misleading opinion. Sorry.
     
  11. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Maybe because at that day, for some reason, it was actually sounding slightly duller at the top to your ears. These things happen.
     
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  12. Vinylsoul 1965

    Vinylsoul 1965 Senior Member

    I am curious, what was the cart you were using previously? Was it the original Blue?
     
  13. Bake

    Bake Well-Known Member

    I just replaced an old one on my Denon and I am also extremely happy with it immediately out of the box. It is pretty amazing the noticeable difference switching out an old stylus with a new one of the same. I’m so happy with the Blue cartridges! I have two turntables that I purchased for around the $300-$400 range each both equipped with Blue cartridges and I don’t see any reason to change.
     
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  14. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    That could be the case. I perceived it in two records bought used. In one case, the voice almost disappears from the right channel with the 2M Blue, but it's perfect with the Nagaoka. I understand that the Nagaoka is letting sound appear where the 2M is not. Could that be because the Nagaoka is somehow avoiding the damage parts of the groove?
     
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  15. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Very possible. I always wish we could get a comparison picture of a brands specific styli to compare though. Many mention that Nagaoka is good at avoiding groove noise and dirt even though it may have the same stylus dimensions as other cartridges.
     
  16. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    Yes original Blue bought approximately 3 years prior.
     
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  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Oh and I completely forgot about the break in discussion we had, I suppose we will just leave it as is unless someone sent a message I missed.
     
  18. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    Agreed. I was going to change carts completely, but when I found out about the Ortofon anniversary sale, I thought why not? I’m happy I did because I’ve had many system upgrades since buying the original Blue cart, as well as the original stylus aging, the new one was a noticeable difference.

    I’m not sure if upgrades where made to the stylus, it’s lighter for some reason, but I’m loving it right out of the box more than when I first heard it out of the box 3 years ago.

    I’ve got the sound I want, no reason to change and I love how easy it is to swap out and get spinning.
     
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  19. Bake

    Bake Well-Known Member

    The one I just swapped out was with another original. Im thinking of maybe purchasing an aniversary edition stylus fo my other turntable which is going to need replaced soon as well.
     
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  20. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    I definitely would, the price is really good, and it’s fresh off the production line, which really appealed to me. The anniversary logo on there is cool too.
     
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  21. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Yes. Damaged inner grooves are pretty common on used records. When a stylus can't track the inner grooves properly (and many cannot) what happens is that the stylus rides up on one edge of the groove wall, causing damage. Can't fix that when the record get's passed onto the next owner. All you can hope for is that maybe one of your carts will track an undamaged part of the groove.
     
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  22. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Then I'm lucky with the Nagaoka on these records.
     
  23. Vinylsoul 1965

    Vinylsoul 1965 Senior Member

    I really wished that they did an anniversary version of the Black...I am sure I need to replace mine!
     
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  24. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    I need to retract. It was an alignment problem. I correctly aligned it to Baerwald and no more IGD with the very same record.
     
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  25. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    What Allignment did you use before?
     
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