Ortofon 2M Black- Graham 1.5/Rega/Origin Silver

Anyone know about the perforamnce of the 2M Blue ($199) which is two steps down from the Black. I want to pair it up with a Project Debut III table and hoping for better than entry level results. (I would go with the Rega P-2, but it is too expensive and rarely sold used) Is it too heavy for the arm on the Project Debut?? The 2M Red got a decent review in TAS, but not sure how much better the Blue is

The difference between the Red and Blue is that the Red is a bonded stylus and the Blue is nude-mounted. So you should realize the same sort of improvement you'd get going from the OM10 to the OM20 or equivalent.

To me, going from bonded to nude is one of the first significant steps in improving transparency and musical involvement. For a bonded design such as the Red to have received such a glowing review says a lot about how good this cartridge engine is.

For $200, I bet the Blue just *kills.*

Great info. Anyone care to comment on the performance and sound between the 2m black and the 540mkll. I'm nearing the time to replace the stylus on my 540mkll, and wondering if I should invest in the 2m black. Best Regards.

SunnyJIm,

putting any cartridge on a Project Debut III and "hoping for better than entry level results" is wishful thinking. You'd be better off getting the Red and spending the other $100 (or more) on a better table. You will still be getting entry level results, but better than the other way around nonetheless.

JohnnyB,

8 may not seem much better than 7.23 but it is within the acceptable range of 10 + or - 2Hz, albeit on the low end of it. I think your assessment of the damping may well have merit though.

Hi All,
I'm reporting back on the Ortofon 2M Black. The cartridge is still wearing in, but even at this stage I can say that it is a very fine cartridge -potentially a giant killer. Very even spread of sound, although not ruler flat. Big output. Tracks very well. Revealing without being finicky, cold or hard. Overall presentation very neutral. Did I say big output? A bargain. Much better than the high output MCs out there. Buy one now!

As for the poster who was asking about his Pro-Ject turntable- that is a good entry level TT (I used to have one- I think in some ways it's a better TT than the Rega I also owned). Read the reviews on the Ortofon site. The other models in the 2M range might be quite a good match for your set-up.