dean_martin
06-12-2008, 02:11 PM
The 2M line of moving magnet carts from Ortofon is out. I've had the Red (cheapest of the line) for less than a week and I'm still getting comfortable with it. I've put maybe 2-3 hrs. if that much on it so far. The end of last month I ordered a new headshell (Sumiko HS-12) for my Technics SL-1210mk2. It finally arrived so I'm playing around with it too.
Initial observations are that the Red has a similar sound (house sound) as my Ortofon MC3-Turbo high-output mc which is a good thing. The MC3-Turbo was tricky to mount on the Technics headshell because its light weight required use of the headshell weight which in turn required me to steady 3 things at once while adjusting and tightening the screws. The Red is heavier and is an excellent match for the Technics headshell. The Sumiko headshell is heavier than the stock Technics so I was able to install the MC3 on the Sumiko without use of the headshell weight...ahh, things are already getting simpler. Now all I have to do is adjust tracking force when switching out carts (perhaps arm height too but I haven't played around with that yet).
The higher output of the Red allows me to experiment more with the gain of my Bellari phono stage moreso than with the MC3 so I'm still dialing in the perfect level on the Bellari's gain control.
Hopefully I'll be able to pick out some records I'm very familiar with soon and get a better read on the Red. I just got The Shins Chutes too Narrow. I thought the red was a little abrasive in the treble. There's alot of high-frequency jangly info on this Shins album. But when I went back to the MC3 which I know is very smooth and airy in the treble, I heard the same or similar abrasiveness. Must be the recording. The Red performed much like the MC3 with Built to Spill's Keep It Like a Secret. Very little difference with this album.
The differences were more apparent with the 45rpm pressing of Louis Armstrong's St. James Infirmary/I ain't Got Nobody (special 12" "single" from Louis Plays King Oliver). This recording is awesome for its time and beats much of today's stuff. When everything is just right ol' Satchmo steps into the room. I'm beginning to develop some preferences between my old belt drive table and the Technics. Jazz in particular seems to be more enjoyable with my old Pro-Ject/MC3 combo than with the Technics even when using the MC3. But with the Red on the Technics, the differences favor the Pro-Ject/MC3 even more.
OTOH, the Technics has more drive with rock. The bass is more present, extended and solid, and guitars, especially layered guitars, sound fuller. Drum attacks are more crisp and really move along. Playing rock on the Technics, the drop off between the more expensive MC3 and the Red is almost unnoticeable. If there is any truth to break-in and the Red improves any in the frequency extremes, I think the Red will be the better and simpler choice for rock music played on the Technics.
That's all for now.
Initial observations are that the Red has a similar sound (house sound) as my Ortofon MC3-Turbo high-output mc which is a good thing. The MC3-Turbo was tricky to mount on the Technics headshell because its light weight required use of the headshell weight which in turn required me to steady 3 things at once while adjusting and tightening the screws. The Red is heavier and is an excellent match for the Technics headshell. The Sumiko headshell is heavier than the stock Technics so I was able to install the MC3 on the Sumiko without use of the headshell weight...ahh, things are already getting simpler. Now all I have to do is adjust tracking force when switching out carts (perhaps arm height too but I haven't played around with that yet).
The higher output of the Red allows me to experiment more with the gain of my Bellari phono stage moreso than with the MC3 so I'm still dialing in the perfect level on the Bellari's gain control.
Hopefully I'll be able to pick out some records I'm very familiar with soon and get a better read on the Red. I just got The Shins Chutes too Narrow. I thought the red was a little abrasive in the treble. There's alot of high-frequency jangly info on this Shins album. But when I went back to the MC3 which I know is very smooth and airy in the treble, I heard the same or similar abrasiveness. Must be the recording. The Red performed much like the MC3 with Built to Spill's Keep It Like a Secret. Very little difference with this album.
The differences were more apparent with the 45rpm pressing of Louis Armstrong's St. James Infirmary/I ain't Got Nobody (special 12" "single" from Louis Plays King Oliver). This recording is awesome for its time and beats much of today's stuff. When everything is just right ol' Satchmo steps into the room. I'm beginning to develop some preferences between my old belt drive table and the Technics. Jazz in particular seems to be more enjoyable with my old Pro-Ject/MC3 combo than with the Technics even when using the MC3. But with the Red on the Technics, the differences favor the Pro-Ject/MC3 even more.
OTOH, the Technics has more drive with rock. The bass is more present, extended and solid, and guitars, especially layered guitars, sound fuller. Drum attacks are more crisp and really move along. Playing rock on the Technics, the drop off between the more expensive MC3 and the Red is almost unnoticeable. If there is any truth to break-in and the Red improves any in the frequency extremes, I think the Red will be the better and simpler choice for rock music played on the Technics.
That's all for now.