I recently wrote a piece about my experiences upgrading my vinyl setup with the miniDSP ADept phono preamplifier-ADC (US$299.99) and the Technics SL‑1500C turntable (US$1499.99, CA$1599, £799.99, €999). Although I’ve been very happy with the performance of my new analog rig, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was being held back by the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge that came preinstalled on the Technics ’table.
Don’t get me wrong. Available separately for US$109.99, CA$144, £79, or €99, the 2M Red is an excellent entry-level cartridge, capable of providing a well-balanced sound. As it is with the SL‑1500C, it comes bundled with other turntables ranging in price from only a few hundred to well over a thousand dollars. While the 2M Red represents exceptional value, if you’ve invested $1K or more in a turntable, your vinyl playback would likely benefit from a higher-performing cartridge.
I don’t blame companies like Technics for preinstalling cartridges like the 2M Red on their turntables. Like I said, it’s a high-value cartridge that keeps the cost of the overall package down and allows users to get up and running, usually within a matter of minutes of unboxing their turntables. This is especially valuable for those who don’t want to deal with mounting a cartridge themselves.
A little history
The Ortofon 2M range has been around for over 15 years. In that time, the series has become something of an industry standard for high-performance, high-value moving-magnet (MM) cartridges. The 2M line includes variants for low-profile and bottom-mount cartridges, as well as both a mono and a 78‑rpm model. However, the line primarily consists of four color-coded models.
The aforementioned Red is the least expensive; it costs more than most budget cartridges, but it’s considered by many to be around the point of entry for high-end vinyl playback. As you move up the line to the 2M Blue (US$219.99, CA$274, £169, €199), you get a better nude elliptical diamond stylus versus the bonded elliptical diamond stylus of the Red.
One nice feature of the 2M line (and many MM cartridges from other brands) is that you can upgrade by simply replacing the removable stylus. The 2M Red and Blue share the same generator structure, so their styli are interchangeable. That is also the case with the step-up Bronze and the top-of-the-line Black, both of which have an upgraded generator compared to the version on the 2M Red and Blue. In addition to its upgraded generator, the 2M Bronze (US$459.99, CA$674, £285, €399) features a nude fine-line stylus. The range-topping 2M Black (US$749.99, CA$1043, £499, €599) is outfitted with a nude Shibata stylus.
The sound of the 2M Red is quite detailed, yet still fairly forgiving with vintage vinyl of decent quality; it also performs well with newer high-quality vinyl. I discussed this project with SoundStage! contributor Thom Moon, who described the 2M Red as a “great rock’n’roll cartridge,” although he does use a Goldring E4 (US$389, CA$499, £199, €249) as his reference on the Technics SL‑100C, in addition to having a 2M Blue.
I also discussed my situation with my SoundStage! colleague Jason Thorpe, and he suggested that the simplest and most economical upgrade would be to replace the stylus with a Blue stylus (US$169.99, CA$215, £118, €149), which made a lot of sense. As the next step, Jason suggested I move all the way up to the 2M Black to see what was possible with a top-of-the-line MM cartridge. So I contacted Ortofon, and they were receptive to providing samples for this article. Within a couple of weeks, a small box arrived at my doorstep; it contained a 2M Blue stylus and a premounted 2M Black cartridge. With the 2M Black mounted on another headshell, I could easily swap between it and my existing cartridge for comparison.
Baby steps
The process of mounting a cartridge can seem daunting for beginners. Jason wrote about this very thing when he helped Doug Schneider’s son, Andres, install a new cartridge on a Denon DP‑3000NE turntable. While Doug took pictures for the article and “hovered nervously,” he was conspicuously absent from the process, instead leaving the exacting work to Jason and Andres. However, as mentioned, my 2M Red cartridge can be easily upgraded by replacing its stylus with that of the 2M Blue. Considering the relatively low price of a Blue stylus, this is a very simple and cost-effective upgrade for any turntable with an Ortofon 2M Red.
After popping the old stylus off the 2M Red body and replacing it with the new Blue stylus, I played this new setup for about 20 hours before doing any real listening, and for over 40 hours before making any direct comparisons. Using the built-in phono preamp of Audiolab’s 9000Q preamplifier‑DAC (review pending), it was obvious that my stylus swap had improved the sound quality. It wasn’t a night-and-day difference, but everything was subtly better. The lighter and more responsive nude elliptical diamond of the Blue resulted in a faster, more detailed sound compared to the bonded elliptical diamond of the Red’s stylus. For example, The Completion Backward Principle (Capitol Records SOO 12151) by the Tubes can sound a bit opaque, but I could now hear more differentiation in the notes of the bass line, and Fee Waybill’s vocals extended more into the room and were less buried within the mix of “Talk to Ya Later.”
Fun fact: because the Pick it S2 cartridge on my Pro‑Ject X1 turntable is manufactured by Ortofon, it can also accommodate the 2M Blue stylus. Replacing the stock stylus of the Pick it S2 with the Blue stylus resulted in similar improvements; the upgraded stylus provided a more detailed and open presentation. And while the differences were clearly audible with the built-in phono stage of the Audiolab 9000Q, everything was just a little clearer and smoother with the miniDSP ADept external phono preamp, whether it was being fed by the Technics or the Pro‑Ject ’table. At a price well under US$200, replacing the 2M Red stylus (or the Pick it S2 stylus, for that matter) with a 2M Blue is an extremely cost-effective upgrade.
Leap of faith
I would have been quite content to listen to the Technics SL‑1500C turntable with the 2M Ortofon cartridge upgraded to Blue status and mated to the miniDSP ADept phono preamp. But as mentioned, I also received for evaluation a 2M Black cartridge featuring a Shibata stylus and enhanced generator structure. After swapping out the cartridges, the vertical tracking angle of the 2M Black—which came premounted on an Ortofon SH‑4 headshell—was a bit off, so I adjusted it and let it break in for about 50 hours prior to any critical listening.
Simply put, the 2M Black cartridge took everything to the next level. All of the improvements I heard with the Blue stylus upgrade were augmented further. The guitar solo of Steve Lukather from Toto, whom producer David Foster brought in to work on “Talk to Ya Later,” just screamed, and Rick Anderson’s bass was more prominent throughout—as were Mike Cotten’s synthesizer notes, whose body and sustain added substantially more weight to the track.
The Berlin Concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Williams (Deutsche Grammophon 486 2006) is one of my favorite modern orchestral recordings. I have a Dolby Atmos version on Blu‑ray Disc, and I have always found the LP to sound a little thin and veiled in comparison. However, with the 2M Black, on “Superman March” I could more easily make out each strike of the timpani at the back of the orchestra. Even though I still prefer the Dolby Atmos version of this recording on Blu-ray, I thoroughly enjoyed the vinyl presentation of this album with the 2M Black.
Match made in heaven
I also have some titles from Deutsche Grammophon’s The Original Source (TOS) series of LPs. These are made from new masters cut directly from the original four-track recordings. They are manufactured in limited quantities, and their sound quality is pristine. A personal favorite is the recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto nos. 20 and 21 with pianist Friedrich Gulda and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado (Deutsche Grammophon 486 6121). These performances are spread over two LPs, with a mere 15 minutes or so per side.
On this fabulous-sounding TOS set played with the 2M Black, the orchestra snapped into focus and Gulda’s mesmerizing performance burst to life in my room. It seemed that the Shibata stylus was extracting every last detail in the recording from deep within the grooves. The rapidly stroked strings, transparent winds, and Gulda’s vibrant piano were all meticulously layered in an exhilarating presentation of the first movement of the Piano Concerto no. 21.
I heard the same gorgeous layering and exquisite detail on the choral passages of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, with Karl Böhm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and the chorus of the Vienna State Opera (Deutsche Grammophon 486 6810). In the gentle movement “Recordare,” the four solo vocalists were placed in front of me with impressively realistic spacing and perspective against an extremely quiet background.
The 2M Black cartridge allowed me to appreciate audiophile LPs, while also making standard pressings and vintage records sound fantastic. Considering the cost of the Technics SL‑1500C, the Black’s price is probably about as much as you’d want to spend on a cartridge for a turntable of this quality—but if you do, you will be rewarded with spectacular performance, especially if you have a capable phono preamplifier. The improvement when moving from the stock 2M Red to the Blue stylus was also worthwhile. In fact, I would consider it an essential upgrade for the SL‑1500C. Or, if you have a similarly competent turntable with a cartridge in the US$100 price range, at a minimum I would recommend a cartridge like the 2M Blue or something of comparable quality. This will allow you to take better advantage of your analog playback system.
Roger Kanno
Senior Contributor, SoundStage!
