opinions on the blue point special

y don't u audition 1 & hear 4 yourself? in the abstract your questions r meaningless. cartridges r very system dependent. if u buy on someone else's word, u will get just what u deserve.

Cornfedboy speaks the truth...

The one I know of in a friend's system works awesome.... Heed the other 2 posts -- they are dead right (unless you have $$ to blow on experiments)

The BPS is a piece of garbage. Buy the Benz Micro MC-Gold for $350 new. You'll be glad you did.

I had a bluepoint special and a grado platinum before I went to a dynavector 10X4, it's not even a contest! The 10X4 whips them both so badly it's not funny. Give the 10X4 a listen if you have the opportunity. Bill

I tried one a few years ago and returned it because of a channel imbalance. Other than that it was pretty good. Kelly is right, cartridges are very system dependent. But I think you knew that and that's why you asked the questions you did. If you audtion the cartridge try to listen to it in a system like yours. My impression is that the BPS has a tipped up upper range and doesnt do well in bright systems unless that's what you like to hear. I actually went with a standard Blue Point because Im not buying any new vinyl, just use my record player to listen to old records once in a while. My system is a little soft and it works fine. I always liked the Dynavectors better than the Grados too. Havent heard either lately.

Whenever a component becomes VERY popular, it becomes a target for ridicule. Everything wipes it out. But consider that it's very popular for a reason (and it's not very heavy advertising). It is a fine cartridge at a reasonable price that plays well in a large variety of systems. It's dynamic, colorful and offers the opportunity to enjoy a moving coil cartridge with an absolutely silent background in systems designed for moving magnets.

i think all of the above posts make sense though some are apparently in conflict (imho they're all correct)...but of course that's what these forums are all about. i will only tell you that i sheared the stylus off my BPS once, then followed that minor disaster with the maid having a go at it just after i had the cartridge repaired ( i've now sat with the TT like this until i decide on my next move - fear can be a paralyzing thing!)

but i digress...i thought the cartridge was A-OK, not especially emotional in my system and not especially rich but, compared to digital (i have a Naim 3.5 CDP), definitely a step up.

the problem with trying to figure out what cartridge to go with and why forums regarding cartridges can be helpful and confusing at the same time is that there is no easy way to audition this piece of equipment in your system (or even at an audio store these days, for that matter). that is why a experienced friend or (gulp) dealer can be really helpful. good luck

glr

glr, i tink all the posts above are basically correct - w/one glaring exception - the one that sez the bps is a piece of garbage. it may be many tings, but a piece of trash it definitely ain't. may be better or worse in some systems than others, compared w/other cartridges both more-n-less expensive than it, but it doesn't make it garbage. excesive hyperbole here, imho.

due to your correct comments about the difficulty in trying to match a cartridge to your system, i'd suggest (for those of us on a budget!) trying to get as much info as possible, from reviews, a-gon, comments/listening to friends' systems, etc. then, set yer budget, & try to find the best, most expensive pre-owned/demo cartridge ewe can, that made it to yer short-list of what ya may tink will work in yer system. while it may not ultimately be the best cartride for yer system, it will surely be at least as good as anything yule be able to buy brand-gnu at its price, & it will save ya lotsa time-n-money trying to audition multiple cartridges.

meantime, i'm currently using an ortofon mc-25fl that i picked up from the needle-dr for $225 (permanently on-sale fro its $450 list price?). this replaced a blue-point i used prewiously, & i tink it's outstanding for its price. the blue-point was nuttin' to sneeze at either, imho. in fact, the ortofon is so nice, i *still* haven't gotten 'round to tryin' the vandenhul-rebuilt lyra clavis that i picked up for a song, using my prewiously-described method for getting a cartridge better-n-ewe can afford! ;~) i've heard good tings about the the lyra, & i got it, gnuly re-built, for ~80% of retail...

regards, doug s.

oops, 80% of retail doesn't sound wery good, i meant 80% *off* retail! ;~)

Duddy,those Dead concerts really had an efffffect on you!

I auditioned a Project Wood table with this cartridge and it didn't sound "special" to me. I found an Ortofon cartridge that sounded better, not as thin through the upper bass.

careful with that Axe, I've got a BPS on a Linn Basik arm that's on a Rega 2, I'm thinking of trading for a K9, the BPS in this configuration, is too warm, lacking in detail and definition. Granted, it's probably the setup it was given, by the dealer, I'm too shacky to try and tweek alignment, VTA and tracking force, careful cause trying to use a force guage can snap the cantaliver and it's nude design can easily get caught doing a bunny hop across the felt mat, leaving you in a vacuume once you relize what's happened, Moving coils are sensitive to that sorta thing, now I'm looking forward to trying something differant, maybe a Rega arm? any and all suggestions excepted.

Sorry to hear you sheared the stylus off your bps. I just did the same thing to my bps (naked truth). DANG!!! May I ask where you had it repaired and how much it will set me back?
Thanks
Bart Dickens