Goldring 1042 V's Ortofon 2M Blue

[carruthersesq]

Hi Guys

I'm fairly new to vinyl and was wondering if anyone has compared these two side by side? I have had a 2M Red but I wasn't not blown away by it, I read (on forum's) that the blue is so much better?!

I can't demo them and will buy one but can't decide which one.

They will be mounted on a Pro-ject RPM 6.1 turntable with 9CC arm, played through a Dynavector HX75 pre with MM boards and Dynavector L200 power amp.

Thanks for your thoughts

Steve

[hifi_dave]

Never been a fan of the 1042 myself, I find it a bit shut in and rounded off. The Ortofons are lighter, brighter, cleaner with the Blue being sweeter and more refined than the Red.

You can replace the stylus on your Red with a Blue, which would save you a little bit.

[the engine]

Goldy for rock . Especially drum wallop .
Orto for everything else......and it rocks ok to.....
BUT....RUN THE ORTO IN for 50 Lp's minimum . It does seem a bit tame till it's loosened up. Imo.

[the engine]

The blue is better than the red though. And better than the goldy with much more realism
and detail....imaging is nice and wide open to. But not from new !
I think Goldring have been left behind a little with the introduction of th 2M carts.
It must hurt with the Project deal as well.

[Audioman]

I think a lot of people will pfefer the 1042 to the Ortofon. Depends on taste and system. Goldring introduced the 2000 series ( made for them in Japan I think) to provide a brighter presentation. Might be worth a try.

[DSJR]

The 1042 can sound "one note" on all instruments, and full on in a thumpity thump kind of way if one isn't careful. It did sound good on a Rega though.

Pro-Ject and Ortofon do seem to like each other in many ways - there's now a 500/VM based Pro-Ject cartridge I understand. The 2M series ain't cheap as you go up the range, but there are enough happy owners out there who like them I think...

[carruthersesq]

thanks for the replies guys. I have bought a nearly new 2M Blue, lets see how i get on with it.

If i dont like it I'm sure i can pass it on with no loss.

[carruthersesq]

It must hurt with the Project deal as well.

I'm not sure what this means?:doh:

[RobHolt]

I think a lot of people will pfefer the 1042 to the Ortofon. Depends on taste and system. Goldring introduced the 2000 series ( made for them in Japan I think) to provide a brighter presentation. Might be worth a try.

Made for them by Nagoaka no less.
Check the bodies closely without the top mount and they are identical.
See the 2000 and MP ranges measured and in key areas they are clearly the same basic design.

The 1042 has the Gyger S tip of course, so if you are averse to end of side distortion and fuzz it leaves most MMs for dead in that respect.
I cannot enjoy vinyl played on anything not sporting a VDH, Gyger, ML or similar stylus, just way too much sibilance slur and fuzz otherwise.

Personally I'd also look at the AT440mla which is great and has a very fine stylus for the money. A bit toppy but it sounds best and smoothest if you keep the loading under 150pf which can be a challenge with most phono stages.

Rob

[dowser]

The 1042 can sound "one note" on all instruments, and full on in a thumpity thump kind of way if one isn't careful. It did sound good on a Rega though.

Pro-Ject and Ortofon do seem to like each other in many ways - there's now a 500/VM based Pro-Ject cartridge I understand. The 2M series ain't cheap as you go up the range, but there are enough happy owners out there who like them I think...

I'm surprised about the 1042 being good on a Rega - I tried a Corus Blue on my 250 and couldn't get it sounding nice - assumed it was worn out (someone gave me it to try), but later in a 774 on same lp12 it was much better. At the time I couldn't decide between it and a dl110 (which had better top end, while the Corus had better bass). Never got to decide, some kind soul then donated me an Asaka :)

Richard

[mjkelshaw]

Several years ago I purchased a Loricraft refurbished 401 and unsurprisingly, as I had little money left over, I asked for a Rega arm to be fitted. It turned out to be an RB300 which was fitted with a 1042 cartridge. At the time my regular turntable was a Roksan Xerxes / Artemiz fitted with a Chorus Black.
Although both 'tables sounded different, I thought the Rega / 1042 worked really well, but because of space restrictions I didn't use the 401 very often. Next year I am hoping to set up the Garrard again, but this time I shall also have an Audiomods / Heed Zene for comparison to the Rega /1042.
I'm really looking forward to be able to listening to both over an extended period and with a wider selection of music. I shall also be able to compare it to my original Thorens / SME / Shure V15 set up.

Mike Kelshaw

[Batty]

I have been using a 1042 on a modified RB250 for a while, recently moved to a Soundsmith retipped DL103 which I prefer as it is quieter and more detailed than the 1042.