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Received The MC2000 Back From Expert Stylus Today

So I got the Ortofon MC2000 back from Expert today, and Mr. Hodgson did a beautiful job on this service. He fitted a new Paratrace stylus and made a minor repair to the end of the OEM cantilever. Looks as new, and there are no oddities to the stylus assembly. The Paratrace diamond is quite diminutive, barely able to be seen with my aging eyes. 

This afternoon I installed it on a very light Fidelity Research headshell, looks kind of like one of the Swiss cheese SME ones. Wired it to a T2000 transformer and then to a Graham Slee Accession. 

This is a remarkably detailed and neutral sounding cartridge. I have a few decent cartridges here and this is as good as any I have experienced. My system uses a pair of JBL 4365 speakers and a Halcro DM8 pre amp, so I have to be careful with system synergy as a too clinical component can push it over the edge. The MC2000 comes very close to doing this. I am considering a wood headshell like the Yamamoto boxwood, due to its low mass and its ability to add a touch of warmth/body to the overall sound. 

But even as it sits the transparency, the fine detail, the dynamic contrasts are all outstanding. I can tell after an evening of listening this is a keeper for me, and while its been a bit of a drawn out journey to accumulate the bits and pieces and get the cartridge serviced...well...it was worth every bit of effort. 

Yes I enjoy my Transfiguration, ZYX, and Ikeda, that is true. But I like the MC2000 every bit as much and I would get rid of a whole bunch of stuff before I ever parted with this cartridge. 

neonknight
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rauliruegas
13,050 posts
 

You are welcome.

R.

neonknight OP
392 posts
 

Have spent some time listening to the MC2000 for awhile now. Just a few things to note. The upper registers are as transparent and detailed without being harsh or grainy, this is the best I have heard to date from analog. Granted my experience with cartridges tops out with a Transfiguration Audio Proteus, and there may be other cartridges out there that can outpace the MC2000, but I have not experienced them yet.

Secondly the mids are as neutral as JGH described in his first reviews of the cartridge, but I can see where this is not a persons cup of tea, or that system synergy may be an issue if the audio gear demands a full bodied cartridge. It is not that the MC2000 is lean, but rather that it adds nothing to the midband. 

So far I have not really been able to form an opinion on the bottom end. It is not thunderous, and at times seems lean. I can work a bit with VTA and see what happens here, as it seems I need to do more work in this region. Also this cartridge is not a macro dynamic bad ass, not like the Ikeda I have. 

All in all a very nice cartridge, and capable of high end performance even after all these years. I enjoy listening to it. It has become one of my favorites, and I imagine I will keep it in the ready for nights where I can sit down and fully appreciate its abilities. 

lewm
13,019 posts
 

In the midrange, my MC2000 can be uncannily good at conveying the sense you are there at the performance. I hated when HP used the word "holographic", which was then copied by other reviewers who were not in his class linguistically, but "holographic" is one way to describe what I sometimes hear.  Some LPs are just not good enough to allow that sensation, unfortunately.

neonknight OP
392 posts
 

@lewm 

Yes the midrange has a purity that is exquisite! I have decided I want another so that I have a spare when one goes in for service. These are indeed special. 

Do you suppose it's possible to run the MC2000 on a SME V? The V is reported between 10 to 11 grams, so a touch high. But Ortofon sold the cartridge with a 10 gram headshell and expected people to use it. So a V should be in the realm of possibility? 

nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

neonknight, If you want another you should ask nandric .

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