Is An Expensive Phono Cartridge Worth It? Also, How To Install It!

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• Jupiter - The Planets ...
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Less expensive Ortofon 2M Red: amzn.to/3B54FJq
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Perform all work at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage or injury.

[@len9518]

The word is stylus, not needle. Yes, the Ortofon Blue, is an excellent choice. Too risky to mount the cartridge in the headshell, while the headshell is installed on the arm. Cartridge should be installed in unmounted headshell. Not only safer, but easier. Also, on alignment, you must also align for the INNER alignment point as well, You will probably need to go back and forth between the inner and outer alignment points, until you get them both matched up. If you skip the inner point, you will have higher distortion, as the arm reaches the end of the record. Forgive me if you did, as it wasn't shown. No complaints. Vinyl Engine, is a great source. I just found your channel today, and was pleasantly surprised and subscribed.

[@elvispresley2695]

Crack me up - as soon as I hear “needle” I knew someone would be correcting. Thank you !-)

[@BriansModelTrains]

I was wonderring why you did not remove the headshell first? Maybe 15 years back I bough an AT 440MLA for $100. I thought it was overpriced then. Now I see it selling for almost $400. My first real turntable was a BSR with ceramic cartridge. I then got an Audio Reflex table with a magnetic cartridge. As I got into my late teens I progressed to Dual, Thorens, Techics, JVC and even a BIC. The Dual 1229 was a great table with the Shure M95ED. Now almost 60 I have a Techics SL-1300 with the above mentioned AT440ml cartridge and am not likely to replace it. I am happy I went retro before it became popular again.

[@vcp93]

Cartridge upgrades are the easiest, most affordable (in audiophile land), and most impactful enhancement to your system (regarding vinyl playback). A quality cartridge is just as important as the quality of your turntable. Sadly you see a lot of newer users not get that info. Plus, it is hard for to see how a tiny cartridge can cost as much (and often "more") than the turntable itself. That 2M Blue is a good cartridge, but it's honestly just in the upper level of entry-level cartridges. (Don't mean to ruffle feathers, but it's true). Also, you can put that computer away. When you put on a cartridge that's of a better class (as you've done here), the improvement is obvious. Cheers! 👽🖖

[@g.fortin3228]

I just installed the red version couple weeks back, lot easier to do it on the removed headshell, on a mousepad. leave the screws slightly loose just enough to slide a little and then replace the headshell and line things up, snug up the screws. Nice shots of the grid lineup, thats exactly what i did after putting the headshell back on, align on both printed grids.. Good outcome though, even though it was a little trickier that way. End result great. Enjoy playing that vivyl.

[@dinosaursr]

Your videos are a great resource. I’m glad to see you enjoying the fruits of your labour. You deserve it.

[@vwmountainman9701]

Yes - agree !!! Long story short - I replaced the cartridge & stylus on my Dad's TEAC PX-550. It had a AT light blue ( cheap one ) - bought the 2M Red complete with headshell. Wow - it was like having another 30 watts & the clarity was very nice. My Wharfedale Linton's have came to life !!!!!

[@mjrootz]

Yes! The blue is one of the best carts on the market.. I had all three that you mentioned. You are right, the red is a great cart but the blue blows all of them outta the water.

[@jamesikumi3378]

why couldn't you remove the headshell from the tonearm to make your work easier othewise thanks for the video.

[@RobbofSOCAL]

Choosing a phono cartridge is as subjective as choosing speakers. I am very happy with my Benjamin Miracord 50H TT with a STANTON 681EEE CARTRIDGE

[@codychavarria6088]

I heard the Goldrings are awesome

[@JerzyRugby]

Very nice cartridge, and also a great channel!

[@Silent-Lucidity]

Very educational video! Thank you for producing content and keep up the great work!

[@MalachiTheBowlingGod]

Try moving coil for some real improvement.

[@mikemalter]

You have a very good channel.

[@chuckgloman7535]

Another great video. I found a Pioneer PL-540 Turntable in a barn. I replaced the Graco cartridge because it was damaged, and now it's my best sounding turntable. How close are you to Penn State Main Campus?

[@paulmalbeuf9213]

Is it not a good idea to reset the tracking force and anti-skate each time you change the cartridge? Thanks for the video!

[@kappino]

I don’t like the ortofon’s cartridge sound … I use audiotechnica on my Thorens TD 160… from the AT95 (various models) and the next upgrade would be the VM540ML

[@Jammerk40]

I have the red! I like it the range is okay but the output could be better!

[@georgeprice4212]

I changed the cartridge and headshell recently on my Numark TTUSB - went from the GT cartridge to an AT-VM95C/H - and wound up with a cartridge that is apparently bad.

[@insolentstickleback3266]

Another fine video, thank you. 👍🏻

[@pauldow1648]

Maybe you researched prior, Nagaoka (green) about same price range. Phono sections. Interconnects. Turntables. Arms. Cartridges. Clean records.quality of recording.....all interacting. Truly amazing.

[@IDPhotoMan]

Is the Blue really worth the extra $140 as compared to the Red?

[@gatyscott9321]

Blue is good but the Bronze is a big step up from that and worth the extra $200! Next time you swap your cartridge remove your head shell first.

[@bmboldt]

Is the headshell not removable on your Sony turntable? Anyway, I picked up a Garrard DD-75 not long ago at Goodwill for $25. It came with a Shure M95ED. That was considered a very good middle of the road cartridge in its day. I picked up a new elliptical stylus for it for around $40 and I think it sounds very nice. Then again I probably don't have the best hearing. I also have a P mount Pickering TL-3 that I bought new 30 years ago for maybe $40. Hard to remember that far back. For most of those 30 years I wasn't playing many records so the stylus doesn't have a ton of use. It is mounted to a cheap Sanyo turntable and sounds really good. It has a DTL-3S stylus which is very hard to come by. Around $200 for a new OEM stylus. Knock offs are about $120. I am probably going to keep playing the Shure on the Garrard since the stylus is 1/3 the price and sounds good to my ears. :-)

[@donny303]

Hey Alright.

[@carriestuart9921]

I know, right?? I was freaking out a bit watching him remove and then install his new Blue while the head shell was still attached to the tone arm. I mean, WHY?? Maybe easier to film...only a guess. You've got a really good cartridge in the M95ED. I had a previous generation M91ED as my first cartridge when I bought my first sound system...Hey, I'm vintage myself. The 95 was a next gen replacement for the 91, and both were pretty much industry standard back in the day...mid to late 70s and into the 80s. Only the Shure V-15 was a better cartridge within the Shure family. And that was smokin'. It was head and shoulders above the M91 or 95. I had a friend who spent the big bucks on one. He was working...I was still in school. Keep on rockin' that Shure as long as you can...It's a really good bench mark to compare others by. FWIW I have a Shure cartridge mounted to my circa 1981 Sony Biotracer PS-X700 turntable. It's a Shure ML-120HE It sounds so smooth, detailed, and rich in the bottom end. Makes my ears very happy.

[@daniannaci3258]

@@carriestuart9921 My first cartridge was the even earlier M91E from Shure. First Shure to track at one gram. In college in the early 70’s I wore one out every semester. I mail ordered them from Boston Audio in Massachusetts for $12.95 each in those days.

[@davidgamble5756]

Good cartridge only problem to much surface noise

[@daniannaci3258]

You’ve been to Leland? Fish Town? I live on the other side of the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan. I hope you dined at the Bluebird!

[@phonatic]

You may also want to try Nagaoka's MP cartridges, have been a long-term fan of these for microgroove playback. I always found Ortofon to be fairly harsh in the upper range. On the other hand that can make up for an otherwise smooth-sounding setup.

[@PhuckHue2]

Huh? Ortofons rule

[@phonatic]

@@PhuckHue2 Meh

[@daniannaci3258]

Nothing wrong with Nagaoka, but Ortofon cartridges are never harsh. They tend to be more neutral across the board than brands who strive for a “sound” to set themselves apart. Ortofon cartridges also are the most consistent in manufacture thus you can rely on simple tools to properly dial them in.

[@phonatic]

@@daniannaci3258 I am simply writing from what I experienced with Ortofon. I did own more than one Ortofon cartridge, such as the VM Red that did have a significant bump at 6 KHz. I still have the files to prove it. Matching with the preamp and cables was perfect according to specs and even the dealer agreed. Yet, this Ortofon was neither neutral nor by any means pleasant. Others wrote me with having had production flaws with their replacement styli. On the other hand, both the Nagaoka MP-500 and the MP-200 do both have very neutral presentation yet won't cause listening fatigue. This lead me to the conclusion that while Ortofon has its place, they are much better at marketing than they are at development.

[@phonatic]

@David Vanpatten Exactly, a personal system should always please yourself first. And if you are happy with it, that's what really counts.

[@starlightgrecording559]

Gerard Stroh*** Hi AH-Fix-it*** I upgrade my 2 Turntables with the Ortofon 2m blue phono Cartridge and headshell and put it on my JVC QL-Y5F Direct Drive turntable With Quartz lock and it Sounds Great and I Also Got A Audio Technica AT33Sa Moving Coil phono Cartridge With A Hi-end headshell and also A pro-ject rs phono preamp and I put that moving coil phono cartridge on my vintage Pioneer PL-600 Quartz Lock direct Drive Turntable and Both of my Turntables Sound Awesome and Really Good Now and Having A good phono cartridge makes my Vinyl Records Sound Good*** I also Got Me A Ortofon 2m 78 mono phono cartridge and put it on my Pioneer PL-200 Turntable for my 78rpm Records and those sound good too*** All from Gerard Stroh***

[@johnkendrick7304]

Why wouldn't you have taken the cartridge off the tone arm to to put your new one on? I have never seen anybody go to all that trouble for nothing

[@danlachappelle]

It sure would have liked to hear a tune ? isn't that the whole point to making an improvement, oh and by the way the head comes of to make new cartridge much easier, I do enjoy your videos though thank you

[@PioneerGuy581]

i see that 737 on the bench - how long does it take to fix these old beasts - bought 1 737 and #2 828 I love the refurb part but cannot stand the board work anymore.

[@nunsc]

Nice

[@martinstrnadel6372]

Definitely ! But there´s much more better cartridges than 2M Blue for the same or less price ...

[@codychavarria6088]

Such as????

[@mguerramd]

What are those speakers?

[@AHFixIt]

Magnepan MG-II

[@leon9021]

Nice upgrade for ya. Its not really a one time cost though is it. You will need to buy a new stylus every 300 - 500 hours or so, usually takes about a year at most.

[@usefulrandom1855]

Ortofon gives a lifespan of 1000 hours with proper care. If you play 3 albums a week with a 1 hour duration that's 6.4 years. I think 5 years would be more than possible. Obviously, if you play records every day or multiple a day it will go quicker! Also when the stylus does wear out you don't need to buy the whole cartridge again so next time round it will be a decent bit cheaper. 2M blue in the UK is £189 for the cartridge or £135 for just the stylus. That works out to be about 13p per hour played on the stylus cost. Not really a big deal.

[@leon9021]

@@usefulrandom1855 Yeah I dont know why Ortofon is playing this game when their old studies showed a 500 hour figure just like Shure, Jicos and everyone elses. Retipping service concur on this figure as well, the 1000 hour mark has no substance to it that I can see especially for lesser shapes like Conical and Elliptical. 100 years is more than possible if you play 1 album each month as well, what matters is hours.

[@usefulrandom1855]

@@leon9021 Exactly he said he didn't play that many LPs. I'm defo going to get one of those usb microscopes though to have a close look at mine! Even if you do half the lifespan to 500 hours, 3-5 albums a week should still see it last 3 years. You would have to play 2 albums per day all year to warrant a yearly change I think. I'm sure there are many people who change multiple times a year though no doubt playing multiple albums a day!

[@leon9021]

@@usefulrandom1855 USB microscopes are useless for determining wear. They dont magnify nearly enough and even if they did you have no idea what to look for.

[@atw4321]

It would be much easier to remove the head shell to replace Cartrage

[@tenorman]

Man likes a challenge. 😂

[@mjrootz]

LOL and next time, remove the head shell from the arm first before you replace the cart.. it makes it easier.

[@tylerjezowski5633]

How many subs till you can do a review on the ortofon black

[@AHFixIt]

I don't think I have good enough everything else for that 😂

[@Hi-Fi369]

Nice 💥👍🏼😁

[@erikdenhouter]

"Every 5 years or so..." ? My Ortofon is from the end '70....

[@usefulrandom1855]

With the same stylus??? They claim 1000 for the 2M series. I assume you hardly use it? Ive got the 2M Bronze that's about 6 years old. Not been used much for about 4.5 years. Just getting back into it though.

[@erikdenhouter]

@@usefulrandom1855 Just turn off anti-scating, that is the biggest scam.

[@erikdenhouter]

@@usefulrandom1855 Please copy this text, and read it a few times, and THINK: 1) when the stylus is put on the record, the turning groove will push it towards the centre. So on the OUTSIDE of the stylus is a pressure and wear. 2) Now set anti-scating to zero, and balance your stylus weight to zero. 3) Now turn ON anti-scating, what do you see ? The stylus will move to the outside of the record, RAISING the pressure and wear on the outside of the stylus, just like the natural movement of the turning groove did in (1). Conclusion: setting anti-scating DOUBLES the wear on the outside of the stylus. Anti-scating is designed in the wrong direction to double the sell of stylus.

[@johnloupis9344]

That's not the way I see it. If the anti skate is set so it neither pushes in or out the stylus will ride down in the groove and sound its best. You can check this by putting a laser disk on the platter and drop the needle down on the turning disk half way through the disk. It should stay still. Not go in or out. That is the correct way that I understand it.

[@erikdenhouter]

@@johnloupis9344 I am not sure any more. At this moment I lack the means to check even what I stated in this comment. Thanks for reminding me this post.

[@foobarmaximus3506]

Queue the Audio Nerds. Stand By ....

[@larrydrozd2740]

Take the cartridge head shell OFF the tone arm before trying to do any of this!!!!

[@knutarneaakra6013]

Snakeoil or just placebo ? Don’t know. Whatever makes audiophile peoples happy. Mabye thinking of the most inporting things like speakers and room sice

[@carriestuart9921]

Definitely NOT snake oil. There IS a real difference when you step up to higher grade cartridges. Been there, done that. For me, the extra $$ spent is well worth it if your vinyl is in good shape. Here's the thing about overall sound quality...It starts with the source. If your audio source is rubbish, the end result is only amplified and will sound pretty bad. If you start out with a good clean well detailed rich sounding source, (your cartridge getting everything it can out of the grooves) your end result stands a better chance of sounding pretty good, provided the rest of your system is up to similar par. There's no free lunch in audio. The entire system is only as good as the weakest link. Don't make that your phono cartridge if you love your vinyl collection, or the difference vinyl sounds compared to digital sources.

[@daniannaci3258]

If the signal coming out of the source (turntable and cartridge in this instance) isn’t pristine, there isn’t a damn thing upstream components, amps and speakers, can do to make it better. No such thing as “complimentary colorations”.

[@JasonGS919]

He lost credibility, when he used that pocket knife to open the cartridge box? 😒

[@sellsubz]

The Ortofon 2M Carts are 🤮