[GeorgeGoodman]

 
I started a thread several days ago about what kind of good cartridge I could find on a budget. Nikongod suggested a few good budget ones, but then francisdemarte pointed me out to a classified ad for an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. I made the seller an offer he accepted, and here I am.

 

I set up the cartridge successfully two days ago, and have listened to it for some time. Everything I say is compared to the old cartridge I had, some cheap ADC that came with the table. My initial impressions are that this is a definite upgrade. I really hear the big bass people are talking about. I wouldn't call it artificial, but if there is a lot of bass on the record, this cartridge will definitely bring it out. Also, the treble is extended and the slightest bit sharp. It doesn't bother me, as I am not very sensitive to sharpness in the upper registers and my headphones and speakers are not very bright. I could see it being a slight issue for people with bright systems, but the characteristic of the treble is not super pronounced. I just thought I would be honest and let everyone know it is there. I don't have anything unusual to say about the mids, they are there and they are nice. I would say they are natural.

 

As for soundstaging and imaging, I can't say anything about those qualities so for. I will listen more and come to my conclusions.

 

Music seems really alive with this cartridge. I just got the Inception soundtrack on clear 180 gram vinyl, and it sounds fantastic, with a huge dynamic range and the amazing bass that this cartridge potently brings out. It sounds very close to a theater in my basement, and in many respects better. In my dance and electronic records, there is great bass as well. Listening to Tangerine Dream's Tangram is truly the trip the artists intended, with the swirling synthesizers and textures. Everything is really clear. I love the overall tonality of the cartridge. I feel it is a stretch to call it neutral, but it is certainly exciting and has a measure of musicality and naturalness that makes the music come to life as much as is possible on my limited yet great sounding system. 

 

I am running Polk RTI100 floorstanding speakers with powered 6.5" subs in the bases from an old Realistic STA-95 receiver that has a phono stage and 45 watts per channel. I guess the Polks are sensitive, because it get extremely loud at 1/3 up the volume knob. For headphones, I mainly use my damped Fostex T50RPs through it headphone jack and play around with the bass and treble knobs until I get a good sound. I occasionally use my great sounding recabled Koss KSC75s as well.

 

This is a great cartridge to my ears. I am going to play around with the setup a little, and will update this thread as I come to more conclusions about the sound. 

 

Does anyone know cheap solutions to unstatic records, clean them, and clean the stylus tip? I will get some real supplies sometime, but right now I just wipe the records on my shirt, moving from the inside to the outside, and that seems to really help. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

 

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Hi George,
 
Thanks for those impressions !!!  The slight treble peak might be due to the phono stage in the receiver. You might want to consider an outboard phono stage at some point down the road. Entry level units are quite good these days and used ones would likely be a real bargain. Look for MM type or if the stage can support MM and MC that would allow you an upgrade path in the future.
 
A really decent little cleaner is called Spin Clean from AudioAdvisor....at 79.99 it's a steal and should be more than adequate for cleaning your vinyl and getting rid of static.
 
Peete.
 
 

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

I am definitely going to get a better receiver and maybe a standalone phono stage at some point. The treble peak is tiny, and works well with my system that is slightly darker than neutral. 
 
I will get some record cleaning device too. Thanks for all the advice. 

 

[Frimpy]

Using Ortogfon 2M Red with my Sansui SR 636 ( just out of month balls) and a Cambridge 551 P outboard phono amp. Could not be happier with this setup. The Sansui is more laid back than a Technics SL-B1 I has previously. Needle Doctor advised me on the Ortofon Red and I'm happy they did.