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Overhang for Ortofon 2M Bronze on Rega RB301

I just purchased an Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge and am a bit puzzled about the overhang setting. The people I purchased the cartridge from said they set the cartridge so the front of the cartridge is flush with the front of the headshell. When I checked this with the Rega cartridge alignment protractor it shows the cartridge should be roughly 2 millimeters further back in the headshell. I listened both ways and thought the setting where the front of the cartridge was flush with the front of the headshell sounded the best. The other thing I was wondering about was the tracking force; Ortofon advised from 1.4 to 1.7 grams. I initially tried it at 1.5 grams and then 1.7 grams (as recommended by the people I bought the cartridge from). Surprisingly I like it at 1.4 grams. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
bobgates
theclipper
26 posts
 
Thanks Ekobesky,

I actually went ahead and placed an order with my dealer, I figured $500 was a pretty good deal. I will be running it through the Fisher for the time being, but am planning on ordering a Bottlehead Seduction kit soon. I've been told that it would be a sufficient upgrade over the Fisher. I'm glad to hear that I won't need a spacer. Do you have any idea how the surface noise would compare with the Denon DL-160 I was using?
ekobesky
259 posts
 
I would say surface noise performance will be at least comparable to, but quite possibly better than, the DL-160. That's extrapolating from my experience with the Denon vs the 2M Blue.

Alignment will be critical since the 2M Black has a fine profile stylus. Spend some extra time. You can rough it in very easily. Just look at Ortofon's publicity photos of the 2M mounted on a Rega arm. There's also a little star-shaped dot that should be centered right where the third screw would be in a Rega three-point cartridge mount.

I think you'll be well satisfied with the Black overall, and the stylus should last a good long time with proper care. I wouldn't be surprised if you attained 1000+ hours with gentle use. So, in those terms, it represents a good value as well.
theclipper
26 posts
 
Ekobesky,

Your post makes me feel much better. I had no problem with noise with the Denon, if its about the same than I will be very happy. I am going to have my dealer install it, so hopefully he knows what he's doing. Hes an old dude that has been at it for a while. I have faith in him. I just wish he would be getting the cart in sooner. From the P1/Denon combo to the P5/2M Black, I am super excited at the new sound possibility.

One more question, will it be a problem if I take the stylus off kind of often? I was thinking it may be a good idea to take it off when I'm gone for the weekend to keep my roommate from trashing it during one of his late night parties. Its either that or bring the table down to my room. He ruined my Denon and I will not let him do me in again.

Thanks so much!
-Clipper
theclipper
26 posts
 
Ekobesky,

Your post makes me feel much better. I had no problem with noise with the Denon, if its about the same than I will be very happy. I am going to have my dealer install it, so hopefully he knows what he's doing. Hes an old dude that has been at it for a while. I have faith in him. I just wish he would be getting the cart in sooner. From the P1/Denon combo to the P5/2M Black, I am super excited at the new sound possibility.

One more question, will it be a problem if I take the stylus off kind of often? I was thinking it may be a good idea to take it off when I'm gone for the weekend to keep my roommate from trashing it during one of his late night parties. Its either that or bring the table down to my room. He ruined my Denon and I will not let him do me in again.

Thanks so much!
-Clipper
ekobesky
259 posts
 
The 2M should come with a clip-on stylus guard. Better to use that than remove the stylus over and over again. It's a little tricky to use but there's more potential for damaging the stylus or cantilever by removing the stylus unit than by installing the guard.
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