MM Cartridge Recommendation
Dear @mr_m : That Clearaudio was the Virtuoso black wood and as always the quality performance is tonearm/system dependent. I made it its review and does not showed the " problem " you experienced with: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/review-clearaudio-virtuoso-wood-cartridge R. |
A couple of thoughts: First, do you have another well-known source (say, digital). If the system is still not sufficiently warm for your taste, and you have tried the free stuff (speaker and seat placements, room tuning with furnishings and rugs, etc), then it’s not the source. I personally have found every B&W I have heard somewhat sterile, but I haven’t heard the 705. Then, on cartridges: I’ve run a 2M Black for five years now. It was meant as a temporary cartridge while I saved for something “better”, but on a my table and arm I haven’t been persuaded to change. The stylus profile means that set-up is, well, fussy. (Thankfully I can adjust VTA precisely.) It’s unforgiving of unclean records. And I hated it when I heard it demo’d on my previous table and arm — go figure. So I can understand curiosity to change. Before spending any money on what is a bit of a crapshoot, have you listened to the audio files of the MM comparison (including the 2M Black) that Michael Fremer ran on his site a few years back? Good luck with your quest — Ping |
It is interesting, curious even, that not one mention has been made of Ortofon's LVB stylus, which is an upgrade for the 2M Black and fully compatible with existing bodies. This would be my first stop in the quest you are on. In fact if you go this route and don't like it, get in touch with me and I'll buy it from you for my 2M Black. |
I agree that the 2M LvB is an intriguing offering. It lacks the upper mid-bass hump of the standard 2M Black (which I speculate is because of the relatively heavy aluminium stylus) and is even more “neutral” (forgive the abuse of meaning). On that basis, I doubt that the OP would be satisfied. I’d suggest, as has others, that he try one of the cheaper Grados or Nagoakas to get a feel for their house sound and navigate from there. (FWIW, my own pick would be the Soundsmith Carmen, which I owned and feel is more musically enjoyable than the notionally superior Zephyr that followed.) |
