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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$121.00
from Decibel Hi Fi. Summary:
Greetings, I recently posted a review of the Shure M97xE cartridge and as I also have an Ortofon 2M Red, a review of that cartridge is probably worthwhile. I actually purchased the cartridge during a period of lots of cartridge purchases (mostly Ortofon Super OM's), and I was keen to compare the two different Ortofon's! In some respects the 2M Red is quite revolutionary despite being the 'base' model in a large range of Ortofon 2M cartridges.
Firstly, I wish that all cartridge manufacturers would adopt the new screw mounting system of the Ortofon 2M system....no more fiddling with tiny nuts! Overhang adjustment is still fiddly but a little less painful with the new mounting system! In my set up this cartridge appears to be well matched into the standard 47 k phono preamp input impedance. The output level is high and on a par with the Super OM series. Interestingly enough, the published specs show slightly higher output than the Super OM series but my ears suggest the (slight) reverse. I've learned long ago to 'distrust' published specifications a little! In general terms, the output level is high.
Sonically this cartridge is interesting. It is actually a very nice 'sounding' cartridge, but not necessarily 'accurate'. On first audition I immediately noticed much more activity from my powered subwoofer (active below 100 Hz), suggesting a modest amount of bass peaking. This adds a judicious amount of warmth and roundness to all vinyl recordings. The effect is similar to switching on a 'loudness' control on a preamp. Remember those? In addition, there appears to be a slight dip in the range around 4 kHz which has the effect of increasing the prominence of the following treble as well as giving a lush, laidback quality. All these things combined, this cartridge seems to make all of my records 'sound' better than they really are! I repeat, a highly enjoyable sound, but not necessarily 'accurate'. A good word might be 'euphonic'. I regard my Shure M97xE as being more 'accurate' overall especially in the bass and midrange.
Apart from the possibly 'euphonic' sonic qualities of this cartridge, the only other negative comments I have are the very high coil inductance (around 700 millihenries), which can exacerbate phono preamp 'hiss' issues, and the slightly high (in my view) recommended tracking weight of around 1.8 grams. I admit that I do not like tracking weights of more than 1.5 grams because of potential record wear issues. My learned friends advise me that 1.8 grams is quite acceptable in terms of record wear though, assuming that cartridge overhang is correctly set up. A slightly higher recommended tracking weight is also indicative of a slightly lower cartridge compliance.
Summarising, the Ortofon 2M Red is a fine cartridge that makes all your records sound great, at the possible expense of sonic accuracy in absolute terms. This is an interesting point and I dare suggest the many listeners would prefer a cartridge that makes all records sound better than they really are, rather than a cartridge that 'tells the truth'. An example, I have a badly worn copy of The Beatles, 'Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Band' album where the record wear is painfully obvious on all cartridges I have except the Ortofon 2M. Is that a good quality or bad? It is quite an enjoyable listen on the Ortofon 2M Red, but not with my other cartridges. Do you see my point? I guess it all comes down to one's listening preferences. Strengths:
Nice, clean and lush, but slightly 'euphonic' sound quality. Very good tracking and generally high performance overall. Weaknesses:
1.8 grams tracking weight, slightly on the heavy side in my opinion. Very high coil inductance, with the possibility of exacerbating phono preamp 'hiss' issues. Similar Products Used:
Shure M97xe, Ortofon Super OM cartridges.
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