First listen...Ortofon 2M Black

[Reffc]

I'd not come across one of these to listen to before but was very curious after reading a good deal of positive press on them.

http://www.ortofon.com/images/stories/cartridges/2m/2m_black_verso_230pix.png

A friend was here yesterday evening with lots of bits and pieces as he wanted a hand to re-build a Project deck and speed control into a new plinth, so we set about stripping bits off the old TT and rebuilding them onto the new plinth (a very nice Inspire multi-layer ply jobbie).

When done, I set up the cartridge using my digital scales, test LP and protractors and we gave it a spin alongside the Gyro/SME309/Shelter 5000. The Shelter was playing into the Albarry MCA gain stage then through an Albarry phonostage in the preamp. I had thought that the Gyro/Shelter would be the more convincing and dynamic performer but preconceptions are often a dangerous thing!

The Ortofon was nothing short of sensational in the little modest Rega arm. More neutral than the Shelter and slightly leaner too, but not lean per-se. The Shelter5000 like many Shelter cartridges retains a slight mid-range bloom. The ortofon had superb transient attack, detail and separation was easily on a par with the Shelter, if not slightly better. It lacked a little of the dynamics that the Shleter MC could conjure up but when things got busy, it tracked superbly and remained very coherent with great focus.

This is one of the first MM cartridges that has made me evaluate whether I'd want to bother spending big MC money ever again. It's that good imho. Not cheap for an MM cartridge though at close on £500 and the Stylus is a ridiculous £360 on its own which rather put me off as I can get a really good re-tip on the Shelter for less (much less).

Still, I though that the 2M Black was a really hard act to follow.

[Tarzan]

:popcorn:

[freefallrob]

I've had a lot of time with the BLUE which is very good indeed and like all things needs some careful matching to get it's best.

The BLACK is a real leap forward in performance having heard them side by side, even with the BLACK stylus in the BLUE body the gain was huge.

[Clive197]

I'd not come across one of these to listen to before but was very curious after reading a good deal of positive press on them.

http://www.ortofon.com/images/stories/cartridges/2m/2m_black_verso_230pix.png

A friend was here yesterday evening with lots of bits and pieces as he wanted a hand to re-build a Project deck and speed control into a new plinth, so we set about stripping bits off the old TT and rebuilding them onto the new plinth (a very nice Inspire multi-layer ply jobbie).

When done, I set up the cartridge using my digital scales, test LP and protractors and we gave it a spin alongside the Gyro/SME309/Shelter 5000. The Shelter was playing into the Albarry MCA gain stage then through an Albarry phonostage in the preamp. I had thought that the Gyro/Shelter would be the more convincing and dynamic performer but preconceptions are often a dangerous thing!

The Ortofon was nothing short of sensational in the little modest Rega arm. More neutral than the Shelter and slightly leaner too, but not lean per-se. The Shelter5000 like many Shelter cartridges retains a slight mid-range bloom. The ortofon had superb transient attack, detail and separation was easily on a par with the Shelter, if not slightly better. It lacked a little of the dynamics that the Shleter MC could conjure up but when things got busy, it tracked superbly and remained very coherent with great focus.

This is one of the first MM cartridges that has made me evaluate whether I'd want to bother spending big MC money ever again. It's that good imho. Not cheap for an MM cartridge though at close on £500 and the Stylus is a ridiculous £360 on its own which rather put me off as I can get a really good re-tip on the Shelter for less (much less).

Still, I though that the 2M Black was a really hard act to follow.

Welcome to the Ortofon 2M Black appreciation society.

I purchased the cartridge as a back up to my Cadenza Bronze, which is now been replaced by Henley Designs because of a manufacturing fault. The cantilever was mounted in the body slanting to the right.

While the Cadenza was dismounted I took the opportunity to listen to the 2M Black and have to agree with your findings with the only downside being the tracking at the recommended 1.5gm not being as good as the Cadenza Bronze 2.5gm recommended vtw. Currently running it a little heavier at 1.65gm being just below maximum vtw. Now it seems solid using the HiFi News Test Disc.

[prestonchipfryer]

Currently running it a little heavier at 1.65gm being just below maximum vtw. Now it seems solid using the HiFi News Test Disc.

Hi Clive. I am running a 2M Black in my SME V on a modded 1200. How much bias have you applied to your set-up? I'm running mine at the recommended 1.5g with 1.4g bias and that clears all the Hi-Fi News test tracks except the +18db. Be interested in your reply.

John

[RobbieGong]

Lol !! Any mention of the awesome 2M Black and you know da Gong is gonna rear his head :lol: I've said it numerous times (as you all know and likely bored you to tears - sorry !) It is just one superb mm cart !! In fact from what I've read it's just a superb cart regardless of mm / mc or otherwise. I know instances where good mc's have been replaced by this cart. John here (prestonchipfryer) is also a very big fan who has done mc's and just replaced his old Black with a new one (I'll be doing the same without hesitation). The Black has a very big and ever increasing fan base and deservedly so. This is the cart that really opened my eyes to 'hifi' if you know what I mean ! :)

[DSJR]

£500 for a fixed coil cartridge seemed a lot to me until I saw the prices for its competition, which are probably market, rather than manufacturing-cost led these days..

The Shelter costs how much? Add in the £500 MC stage and the 2M Black starts to look to be very good value IMO... I do wonder how much better it is than the related 540/VM and OM40 though, which can still be had for half the price..

[Stratmangler]

Hi Clive. I am running a 2M Black in my SME V on a modded 1200. How much bias have you applied to your set-up? I'm running mine at the recommended 1.5g with 1.4g bias and that clears all the Hi-Fi News test tracks except the +18db. Be interested in your reply.

John

Not much can track that particular cut.
I think it's there to make you paranoid :eyebrows:

[Clive197]

Hi Clive. I am running a 2M Black in my SME V on a modded 1200. How much bias have you applied to your set-up? I'm running mine at the recommended 1.5g with 1.4g bias and that clears all the Hi-Fi News test tracks except the +18db. Be interested in your reply.

John

Good afternoon John. The Cadenza plays all the tracks at 2.5gms except the +18db torture track you mentioned. Unfortunately the Origin Live Silver arm does not have any markings for bias so it's set at 5mm from 0 as recommended by the manufacturerer. I did bring the bias back a bit for the 2M Black but it would not track the +16db track cleanly @1.5gm.

Clive

[DSJR]

Unless I'm mistaken, the OL arm may take off at near the 400Hz torture track, so this may just be part of the reason?

[Clive197]

Unless I'm mistaken, the OL arm may take off at near the 400Hz torture track, so this may just be part of the reason?

Your right, your mistaken.

[Macca]

£... I do wonder how much better it is than the related 540/VM and OM40 though, which can still be had for half the price..

I have 540 and it is very 'modern' sounding compared to my Nagaoka MP50. Not heard a Black but I guess if it is related to the 540 it will be similarly clean and matter of fact sounding (not meant in a bad way) - Heard a few expensive MC s recently then an Ortofon SPU - preferred the SPU and was surprised that it was similar in overall presentation to the MP50 being a little bit warm and 'golden' sounding. Depends what sort of sound you are looking for from your vinyl replay, really.

[freefallrob]

I really liked the Super OM30, I stupidly sold it though:doh: worked really well through the EAR834P which added a little 'balls'.

[Reffc]

£500 for a fixed coil cartridge seemed a lot to me until I saw the prices for its competition, which are probably market, rather than manufacturing-cost led these days..

The Shelter costs how much? Add in the £500 MC stage and the 2M Black starts to look to be very good value IMO... I do wonder how much better it is than the related 540/VM and OM40 though, which can still be had for half the price..

That's very true David, but fact is, I can have the Shelter re-tipped for half the price of a replacement stylus for the Ortofon. Still, I haven't heard why its not possible to re-tip a MM cantilever rather than pay £360 for a replacement. In that light I agree with you. The Shelter retailed at a shade under £1700, add in £500 odd for the MC step up and suddenly the 2M Black is starting to look like something of a bargain. Haven't heard the 540 but I prefer the 2M Black over the OM40 for the short duration of what I heard. Whatever, compared with the competition, it's a winner...a future classic.

[prestonchipfryer]

Good afternoon John. The Cadenza plays all the tracks at 2.5gms except the +18db torture track you mentioned. Unfortunately the Origin Live Silver arm does not have any markings for bias so it's set at 5mm from 0 as recommended by the manufacturerer. I did bring the bias back a bit for the 2M Black but it would not track the +16db track cleanly @1.5gm.

Clive


Thanks Clive. Well I've never had a cartridge that could track the +18db cut at the recommended PY.

John

[prestonchipfryer]

Not much can track that particular cut.
I think it's there to make you paranoid :eyebrows:


Paranoid, not me. :mental:

[Clive197]

Thanks Clive. Well I've never had a cartridge that could track the +18db cut at the recommended PY.

John

Raises an interesting question, has anybody got/had a cartridge to track that track at a recommended weight?

I've had many different cartridges and arms over the years which I have never got to track either the HiFi News or HiFi Sound highest bias track.

[Reffc]

Raises an interesting question, has anybody got/had a cartridge to track that track at a recommended weight?

I've had many different cartridges and arms over the years which I have never got to track either the HiFi News or HiFi Sound highest bias track.

Best tracking cartridge I have tracks up to track 3 cleanly but nothing I've had any that tracks the +18 cleanly. My V15III gets very close, closer than the Shelter even. The point though is that withcorrect bias, the buzzing distortion should be equal in both channels. I always set VTF towards the heavier end of the scale because it does help with tracking and far from increasing stylus/LP wear, actually has the opposite effect.

[DSJR]

Your right, your mistaken.

Which was the arm HFW tested? Apologies if I have it wrong.

[twotone]

Does this cart play ok on a stock techy arm?

[Clive197]

Which was the arm HFW tested? Apologies if I have it wrong.

To quote David Price who wrote the review in HiFi World in March 2002 on the OL Silver Arm "The Silver is a stonkingly good product and the very best Tonearm I've ever heard"