Clearaudio Concept/Ortofon 2M Bronze

[Jim R.]

Well, an update for any of you who care...

After considering the various merits of the 2m bronze and black, the CA Maestro and Virtuso and the Soundsmith Aida, I've decided to go with the 2M black, which has been ordered and paid for.

Shawn has tried it on his Concept, and the one aspect I was most concerned about -- added surface noise pickup due to the higher resolution, is not at all an issue.

Thanks all for your input and all the offline chatting, and special thanks to Shawn for comparing the two he had available on his Concept.

This seems like a good way to get back into vinyl -- Concept, 2M Black and Eros (with a collection of NOS euro ef86s and a couple of 7308 PQs to choose from.)

-- Jim

[grufti]

I hope you truly enjoy your Ortofon 2M Black not just at first, but for a long time of listening to records. It is what I have been using with the Eros and I have never even considered another moving magnet cartridge since. Congratulations.

[InfernoSTi]

Congrats, Jim.  I'm very much looking forward to your thoughts on the new cartridge.  Enjoy your music....

John

[Grainger49]

And he has some new-to-him vinyl on its way.  When he gets the table set up he will good for a few days with the new LPs.

[denti alligator]

After moving from the 2M Red to a Nagaoka MP-110 I am wary of the 2M series and surface noise. If it's not an issue, then someday when I get enough money saved up, I too would like to upgrade to the Black.

[mchurch]

Congratulations on the 2M Black. After you work your way through the hours you will find it just gets better. I thought I had reached the best mine could give but then I adjusted the Stylus Rake Angle with the help of a USB Microscope and the azimuth with a Fozgometer it got even better. In my opinion the Black is probably one of the best MM cartridges out there. I am only running a Seduction at the moment but plan to upgrade to the Eros this year so it might even get better.

On a side note I have never encountered any issues with surface noise with the Black unless I had headphones on and was pushing the volume. But at those levels it was like standing behind a jet engine and so I never go that high.  The one thing I have noted since building my BH set-up was the feeling of a dead quiet background. I love the performance so much I rarely use my CDP anymore.

Cheers;


Mike

[bainjs]

Jim R. - How is the 2M Black sounding? 

I've got the Red and the Blue so I just ordered the 2M Bronze for a newly aquired Rega RP3. Ortofon recommended the Bronze for the RP3.  Even though I've read mixed reviews on the Bronze, I feel it will be a good fit for me. I guess I'm a 2M kind of guy...

[Jim R.]

Hi Joel,

Well, I'm not in a good place to tell you as I just set my TT up this past weekend.  We recently moved (though we've been working on it for months), and I still don't have my eros started yet, and still no fully operational system in the listening room )though that too is getting closer by the day.)  The guy who modified my TT said that it sounded very good though.

Sorry I can't really say anymore, but I'm sure the bronze is going to be yet another step up.

-- Jim

[tubehead]

Would you recommend the 2M black as an upgrade to the standard Concept MM that comes in the package of Clearaudio Concept deck [nofollow]? My Concept MM is showing signs or wear after about 600 hours use and I'm not sure whether to replace it with something different, though I do like it's sound quality.

[Jim R.]

Even the Bronze will be an upgrade. The differrence between bronze and black is only the diamond -- nude shibata for the black and contact line for the bronze. they are otherwise identical and if a bronze wears out you can replace it with a black cantilever assembly, so in a sense they are interchangeable. The bronze is a great cart for the money, as is the black, just more money and what a shibata cartridge brings to the table. You can't go wrong with either.

-- Jim