Upgrading my Ortofon 2M Blue stylus to Bronze...

I was thinking of upgrading my Ortofon 2M Blue to a 2M Bronze. I've used the Blue (on a 1200) for a few years now and have really enjoyed it but I've upgraded some of my equipment (SX-1250 and JBL 120ti) and was thinking of getting the Bronze. Is there a cart out there in the same price point ($420) that is a better choice? I know it's probably subjective but your opinions would be much appreciated.

 

I changed my 2M Red stylus that came on a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon to Bronze. It sounds like a different machine (was poo-poo before IMHO). No more sibillance or IGD. I did a lot of research on this and I concluded the Bronze is where one reaps the rewards in this setup. I no longer regret getting a turntable now

 

Do you guys actually mean you're upgrading the cartridges? The Blue and Red styli are interchangeable, but not with the Bronze cart. You can upgrade the Bronze cart with the stylus from the Black however...

 

Ummm...did you create two threads...?

 

Red can upgrade to Blue
Bronze can upgrade to Black

I suppose you could upgrade a Red with a Black stylus? But won't give you a Black.

 

I have a Blue cart and stylus. I'm wanting to upgrade to a Bronze cart and stylus. I'm wondering, is there another cart and stylus in the $420 price point that you'd recommend?

 

Haha! Yes. I'm new to the forum and posted in the wrong catagory initially. Trouble is, I couldn't figure out how to delete the first one.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Thank you, good sir!

 

Send a private message to a moderator and request the deletion.

 

It is actually possible to fit a Bronze stylus on a Red/Blue cartridge body (which I have tried). The resulting sound retains most of the red/blue characteristics, but tracks better.

However, the high-end extension and finer details can only be found in the properly matched bronze stylus on bronze cartridge.

 

I think there is value in staying in the 2m "family". I have gone from the red to the blue and now the black and they all see to have a similar profile. Kind of like sierra Nevada beer, The all taste different but all taste like a sierra Nevada.

I think at some point I will get the Bronze stylus just for the comparison. I have read some on here say they like it better than the black.

I think for moving magnet, the 2m is the standard.

 

Well then here's my reply from the other thread!

Good question! I think if I upgraded my cart it would be to one of the two you mention! depending on how much $$$ I could get away with spending! SO I'm no help ...

I currently use a HOMC Denon DL-160 which sounds great but has been discontinued. The formerly lower priced DL-110 has now surpassed the -160 in price ...???
http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Denon-Phono-Cartridges I don't know if the -110 is still a good rec at the higher price. Seems like it about doubled in price over the last couple of years since I bought my -160.

 

Let your ears decide.

Comparison Between Ortofon 2M Bodies: Upper Range vs Lower Range

 

Can you elaborate as to why you think that?

 

the first thing you can look to is the number of threads on this form that are dedicated to the Ortofon 2m Series. It is certainly one of the most discussed and generally one of the best liked.

Sales would be another reason it is a standard. Ortofon 2M Red MM Phono Cartridge is a Music Direct and needle Dr. Best-Selling MM Cartridge & Absolute Sound Product of the Year Award Winner. They get the most favorable reviews on sites where they are sold and in publications where they are reviewed. The Red is the overwhelming choice of manufacturers selling entry level "audiophile" tables. the exception being manufactures that make both tables and cartridges.

In the last two years I have put over 2,000 hours on the red about 800 on blue and I have about 30 on a black. I think they all sound great.

For me, it was so easy to switch the stylus from Red to Blue that it was an easy choice and the improvement was very satisfying to say the least. I wanted to go with a Dynavector on my new table but I came across a deal on a preinstalled Black and I have no complaints.

 

You make a very strong case for the 2M offerings from Ortofon, but it's popularity does not a standard make and certainly not for every product in its lineup. I had the 2M Black on my former Nottingham for over a year and I really, really liked it. The detail retrieval was simply amazing, but I found it to lack in the midrange. I much prefer the midrange of Grado cartridges, so for my new TT I decided to go back to Grado and purchased the Reference Sonata 1. IMO few MM/MI cartridge manufacturers do midrange better than Grado, and perhaps none do. Does that make Grado the standard for midrange? No, it doesn't as it's only on opinion.

All in all though I will say that the 2M line of cartridges are outstanding.

 

Although the Ortofon 2M Bronze has received some confusing review here, my experience with it would contend that those who are often incapable of dialing the SRA in on this fabulous cart have apparently had some issues. Those who took the effort to dial it in, have become very happy campers and have enthusiastic responses about it. Personally, I think it is a great little over performer for its price, and yes, one also has the option to update the stylus to a 2M Black (Shibata) when the Fine-Line has been spent. This cart is an extremely strong competitor at this price point. Good luck trying to find one with a more detailed performance...

Happy Listening!

 

This is true. As a vinyl newbie the overall sound of the Red was fine (to start with). However, it was obvious the tracking was poor

I was pumped to get a Debut Carbon at a great price last year. However, I was very disappointed with the performance. In fact, I would have "given up" on vinyl if not for the discovery of the Bronze stylus at a reasonable cost. I am glad other folks are satisfied with it, though.

 

I didn't mean "standard" as best. More that it is the standard to which others are compared.

I'm no 2m sycophant, I hope to have the good fortune to own many other cartridges in my life.

 

The Carbon was my first "real" table (I started with a used technics) and it was like a switch was turned on for me, I absolutely loved it.
Was it the table or the cartridge that you were unhappy with? Also, I didn't realize you could but a Bronze Styli on a Red body

 

I found this to be helpful. Albeit, I have no way of knowing if each cart is dialed in correctly, they seem to sound pretty sweet to my ears, but who knows. Great track, BTW.

I liked the bronze. Seemed well balanced, warmer and more detailed overall than the Blue. Of course the Black is very nice and smooth as well. I think what really caught my ear with the Bronze was the low floor tom and bell of the ride cymbal. Sounds very smooth and realistic.

 

I am essentially new to vinyl playback (except crappy gear as a kid) so my opinions are from that viewpoint. The table seems very nice and well built. I love the simple design. The grey color fits in well in my equipment rack, too. Mine has the "hum" issue, but I was able to remedy that to an almost inaudible level. So the table is not the issue. It was with the stylus. It suffered a lot of sibiliance and inner groove distortion. My record of choice for sibiliance testing is Wilco "Being There". It sounds so much better with a Bronze stylus. The IGD went away on all records, as well. I essentially sold my new Red and found new Bronze for a nice price. About a $200 upgrade overall.

 

Hifisquarepants is the MAN!

 

I've got the Bronze, and it does sound great. I listened to the same turntable with a 2M Blue before deciding on the Bronze. The above YouTube demo gives a pretty good representation of the differences between them. I went with the Bronze, not only for what I perceived to be more detail, but also because it has the same body as the Black and is therefore upgradeable, as TVC-15 noted.