The Wand turntable

austinstereo and OP, Just to be clear, I am not recommending a change of cartridge based in any way upon the cost of the cartridge vs the cost of a tonearm. My point was in answer to the OP’s question which is in general about his interest in upgrading his vinyl reproduction by replacing either his tonearm or his tonearm and turntable. My first thought was and is that the BP2 cartridge is really the weakest link in his present vinyl chain, and I recommended a new cartridge. The present tonearm seems entirely adequate, and the Thorens is nice. Those two components can be upgraded at any later time.

Now I know that you (bearthesurfer) are running your BP2 (internal resistance 135 ohms) into the balanced inputs of an Aqvox phono stage, which is a current-driven type, I feel even more strongly that you would benefit most by changing to a cartridge with a much lower internal resistance. If you are "married" to Sumiko, then I suggest you choose one of their LOMC cartridges with an internal resistance less than 20 ohms, if they make such a one. As it stands now, you are wasting gain and probably experiencing a treble roll-off which may or may not be audible; the BP2 would have a very hard time driving the Aqvox input, which inherently has a much lower impedance via its balanced inputs. It’s not more than 20 ohms but I don’t know the exact value. This can, and obviously does, work, but it is not a great idea. If you are willing to deviate from the Sumiko product line, then I suggest the Audio Technica ART9XA (0.2mV output) or the ART9XI (0.5mV output). Both have a 12-ohm internal resistance. Both cost about $1K. That is not cheap but it is probably less than one would spend on a new tonearm, let alone a new tt + tonearm. There are a myriad of other choices for a bit less money. Check out Hana, for example. Or a used AT ART7 or ART9.

In the here and now, you might experiment with connecting your present cartridge to the RCA inputs of the Aqvox, if that is possible, so the cartridge will see the 47K ohm load afforded by those inputs. I bet it would sound better. But the Aqvox’s raison d’etre is its balanced, current-drive design, so it is good to take advantage of that.

I’ve only seen the Wand TT at Munich, and had a good chat to Simon. I heard it on a system I didn’t know, with Gershman Acoustics speakers. The system was lively and you could hear the rhythmic drive I know the Wand arm to have. (I use the Wand Master on my Garrard 401 setup with Dynavector XX2 Mk2 cart, a synergistic combo.) It looks great in real life, pictures don’t quite do it justice. It has electronic motor speed control and the platter is larger than 12” which gives it more inertia than an equivalent weight 12” one. If I didn’t have 2 Garrards already I’d have a Wand TT! I know Simon spent a lot of time refining the design before releasing it and has enjoyed other classic TTs in the past such as Garrard, Lenco, Technics SP10. He has a fine ear and being in design for decades, a fine eye for detail. I’d love one here.

Lewm is absolutely correct. Read the Aqvox instructions I'm sure they will tell you the same. Some current drive phonostages recommend an impedance of less than 10 ohms. The lower the better. Unfortuantely, most of the ultra low impedance cartridges are very expensive. But, the Audio Technicas are excellent cartridges and great values. Because they have much lower moving mass they will track better than the Blue Point and in my system I have no doubt they will sound better. Obviously, I can not speak for yours. My first post was being polite. Lewm is also being polite. Now I'm going to take the gloves off. There are a Host of MM and MI cartridges that are significantly better than the Blue Point which you are crippling further by trying to use it on a current mode input. You want to improve your system and get the most for your money? Get a new cartridge.

thank you ndevamp for  your post and impressions of listening.
 In the meanwhile, I found a Gyrodec with SME 3009, and I think I will go for a “classic” than this new product. I would save money to invest in a new cartridge.
@lewm and mijostyn thank you very much for your advises.
i contacted Aqvox directly: it looks they do not give importance to internal impedance, BUT they sell a cartridge MC low output (0,18 mv) and 12 ohm internal impedance. So i think that this is the right way.

Please read the owners manual for the Aqvox.  There they do advise using a cartridge with an internal impedance less than 20 ohms.  ANY cartridge that fits that description will blow away what you are now using, not necessarily because the BP2 is inferior but because it is a bad match for the Aqvox or any current-driven phono stage.