Back in Black

[RobbieGong]

Well after swapping to the SPOTFIRE cable the 2M Black has changed character slightly. Gone is the slightly edgy top end and the tendency to harden up on some recordings. It now sounds much more refined but still with all the detail, dynamic live sound I have appreciated for the last 3-4 years.

The power and gravitas this cartridge has is stunning, and its 3D rendering of instruments is very noticeable. I have set this cartridge up more times than I care to remember and can now install it absolutely spot on. I am aware I have now been writing about this cartridge for a long time but as with all aspects of equipment you don't always appreciate all its qualities straight away and over the years I have been drawn to more of the 2M blacks capabilities.

I know for some the 2M cartridge can be too much or they just don't get on with it but when it works with your system in a balanced way it is simply a fabulous cartridge. I think bright speakers and solid state electronics can over egg the pudding so I would suggest valve amplification and soft fabric dome tweeters are your friend.

I have been down a long and interesting path with cartridges over the last few years and indeed have been selling many of them off as I have now found what really works with my system. They have all had their own strengths and weaknesses but the 2M has almost none in my system especially now the new cable has given the cartridge a more favourable capacitance. All this just goes to show system synergy is everything and you have to trust your own judgement on this. The road to audio Nirvana can be a tortuous one but when you reach it you know it!

I have decided now that I will end my search for the perfect cartridge and focus on other areas of my system in future that can be tweaked.

As your joint number1 2MB fan I love reading your musings and write ups about your experiences with it.

It is a superb cart worthy of pride of place in any system.

Some felt £460 for an mm was too much money but having gone through it's pricier siblings / same dna Quintet Black mc and my current Cadenza Black, the truth is the 2MB is a class act at a bargain price, all things considered

[Lurch]

I am still trying to make my mind up between the Hana SL and AT33PTG/II.
They are both good, but a little different. I still need to get a few more hours on the Hana to make sure it's fully run in, and you go and post this....

What loading are you using for the Hana??
Whilst it sounds good on the standard 100ohms most phonos provide, it really moves to a different level when given the recommended 400+ ohms recommended. Am currently running mine at 470 via a 1:10 SUT and it really has upped things to the next level. deeper tighter bass, sweeter mids and more extended, detailed treble

[karma67]

As your joint number1 2MB fan I love reading your musings and write ups about your experiences with it.

It is a superb cart worthy of pride of place in any system.

Some felt £460 for an mm was too much money but having gone through it's pricier siblings / same dna Quintet Black mc and my current Cadenza Black, the truth is the 2MB is a class act at a bargain price, all things considered

ooh stop it! all this talk about the 2m makes me want to get one again......no i must resit!
it is a bargain price rob,just check out the price of the mp500!

[Firebottle]

You may need to reappraise my system Oli as the 2M no longer sounds edgy due to the SPOTFIRE cable.

Interestingly I have just 'upgraded' to having Spotfire cables between TT and phono stage and it has really lifted things again

There is a more vibrant and solid image, more realism and immediacy to the music, it's fantastic.

[Jimbo]

Interestingly I have just 'upgraded' to having Spotfire cables between TT and phono stage and it has really lifted things again

There is a more vibrant and solid image, more realism and immediacy to the music, it's fantastic.

The SPOTFIRE made a significant difference in the same position in my system and was one of the main reasons I have decided to only use the 2M black. This cartridge has lost any edginess or hardness but now sounds very balanced with the same qualities you mentioned " vibrant and solid image, more realism and immediacy to the music". To be honest Alan I see no reason to try anything else as the 2M in my system is faultless, it does however show up the faults of weaknesses in other cartridges!

[Jimbo]

As your joint number1 2MB fan I love reading your musings and write ups about your experiences with it.

It is a superb cart worthy of pride of place in any system.

Some felt £460 for an mm was too much money but having gone through it's pricier siblings / same dna Quintet Black mc and my current Cadenza Black, the truth is the 2MB is a class act at a bargain price, all things considered

Haha Rob, nice to have you as a fan I feel I have been round the block a bit with cartridges but as you may have gathered from my recent thoughts I have decided to stay "Back in Black"!

[RobbieGong]

Haha Rob, nice to have you as a fan I feel I have been round the block a bit with cartridges but as you may have gathered from my recent thoughts I have decided to stay "Back in Black"!

Dont blame you one bit Jim, you have a great system that allows the Black to show its stellar qualities, that continues to bring you untold musical satisfaction.

Why would you change it ? maybe only if you came into funds to pay for one of the far pricier 'house sound' Ortofons cause you'd need to spend a good chunk to genuinely beat the 2MB in my experience

[Jimbo]

Just when I thought I had nailed everything to know about setting up the 2M black I came upon another tip for optimising set up. Due to its shibata stylus profile is a tricky cartridge to align in the groove both from a VTA point of view and in particular azimuth.

Now I know there are all sorts of ways of checking azimuth, some electronic and others manual but as I have not got a Foz meter I have to do this the manual way which envolves sight, sometimes a mirror and sometimes balancing a long this aluminium pipe on top of the headshell. VPI provide this with their tonearms which have a groove in the headshell for this purpose. However using this method to see if the cartridge is perpendicular to the record is tricky.

A method I have just discovered has proven to be more accurate and this relies on listening to the sound of the cartridge in the groove. Basically the shibata profile, if not sitting perpendicular to the groove walls, will give a slight hissing sound mixed in with the music. This is only discernible on quiet passages but is an indication the stylus is not achieving perfect azimuth. I have found adjusting the cartridge and listening is an excellent way of setting up azimuth, you just adjust the cartridge until the hiss goes away. The 2M black should then give you silent backgrounds with perfect channel separation.

One caveat here it that some vinyl has groove noise which is prevalent and so you need to use a well pressed piece of vinyl which does not inherently have this.

[RobbieGong]

Can only agree 150% on your observations Jim, being the joint most learned 2MB fan in the world along with yourself

It was the way I always nailed it in the end, after covering off all the other important set up aspects.

By listening very very intently, whilst carefully dialling in the vta.

Once it was 'in' that 'sweetspot' is exactly as you've discribed - perfect channel seperation and seperation of the individual parts as well as a sense of rightness, calmness and balance to the presentation.

Afterwhich you find that instruments, vocals, the mids etc are wonderful, horns parp lifelike.

Once you've nailed it is when you know what a superb cart the 2MB is.

I remember the first time I nailed mine and really heard it Thats the time I truly experienced all the positives I'd read about the 2MB being a stellar quality cart, as well as what could be realised in terms of great vinyl replay.

Btw, Thats the Shibata's for you as I found the Quintet Black the same and my current Cadenza Black too. Nothing special until you nail set up and that sweetspot, then and

[Jimbo]

It is still the best cartridge I have heard in my system Rob and I have tried a fair few.