Making a few changes - advice needed please

[Zoidburg]

Hi there,

I am planning a few minor changes to my system and would like some advice if anyone can help please.

Im pretty happy with my system but want to upgrade my ortophon 2m blue. I can spend up to £300 but have no idea what else to look at (other than say a 2m orange). My SRM Athena has a rb301 arm on it so it would have to work with that. Whats everyone using and loving?

Would I be best sticking with a MM or would I get a better sound with a MC (I guess it would have to be a high output one as I dont have a phono pre amp).

Also I often find my system can be a bit harsh up top and think maybe i should get rid of the QED silver anniversary bi-wire speaker cable stuff im using. Its silver plated so maybe that isnt helping. I know its a contravorsial subject but lets say i have up to about £15m for speaker cables, what do you lot like and use?

[Dingdong]

Apparently this speaker cable is dead good for the money.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Belkin-AV5...item20afedc0e9

[jandl100]

First off - yes, get rid of the QED SA cables - they really are a bit harsh and nasty.
I suspect the tonal balance of the system would change a lot - so you need to do that first and then see where you want to go.

Get these Belkin cables. They've received rave reviews on AOS and are cheap as chips and bloody good!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1403905476...84.m1438.l2649

[jandl100]

ha ha! - SNAP !!
Good thought, there, Mark.

[Dingdong]

great minds and all that...

As for cartridges I'd be tempted to have a look at a Shure M97xe . The At440ml also gets good reviews.
I'm sure dsjr will be along in a bit with an essay on mm's

[jandl100]

Whats everyone using and loving?

I've tried various carts over the last few months, both mm and mc, and after the initial honeymoon period with the new cart I always return to my beloved Dynavector DV10X5 high output moving coil. It's just the best overall sound for me - quite funky and fun, but also does the subtle detail thing. I even prefer it to far more expensive DV models - 17D3, XX1L, which lack the funky drive of the 10X5 and sound a bit bland in comparison. Strange but true!
Tbh, for the moment I've given up looking to change it.

mm's can be impressive, but all those I have tried have, in the end, lacked the free-flowing naturalness of a decent mc cart. I'm an MC kind of a guy, I guess.

[StanleyB]

I have got to agree with Jerry on the high output MC. I tried all sorts of MM carts, but ended up going back to MC. My personal favourite is the relatively unknown Pioneer PN5MC, which I have used on and off since the 80's.

[DSJR]

At least the Ortofon has an upgrade path, although the 2M-Black has a slightly different plastic composite body I understand.

If you're happy with the price, the 10XV is as safe as houses and, in my opinion, is better than the cheaper Denon 110/160 models. I'm also a fan of the Sumiko BPS III, although many owners break their first one in the first week of ownership

[Zoidburg]

Cheers folks,

I will deffinately investigate the speaker cables and that Dynavector cart looks very interesting too.

Anyone using a 2m bronze at all at the moment? I'd be interested to hear opinions on it too.

cheers,
Ben

[The Grand Wazoo]

As Jerry suggested, you should really give yourself a decent amount of time to assess the effect of changing your speaker cables before you move on to tinker with anything else.