Question Anyone have experience of upgrading from Ortofon 2m Blue to Bronze or Black?

[SDF111R]

As per the title , considering a cartridge upgrade, have the Ortofon Blue on my project turntable, has anyone upgraded and what were your impressions?

 

[Gray]

As per the title , considering a cartridge upgrade, have the Ortofon Blue on my project turntable, has anyone upgraded and what were your impressions?

Welcome to the forum. There's a member here that I know will have some useful advice for you.
Stick around.

 

[SDF111R]

Will do, thanks

 

[bigfish786]

I don’t have any personal experience of that particular upgrade, and although the black stylus will fit on the blue body, apparently the generator within the body is different.
How much of this would be noticeable again I’m unsure, but just wanted to make you aware.
I have heard the 2m bronze, and that sounded very good indeed on a Gyro SE.

 

[Al ears]

I don’t have any personal experience of that particular upgrade, and although the black stylus will fit on the blue body, apparently the generator within the body is different.
How much of this would be noticeable again I’m unsure, but just wanted to make you aware.
I have heard the 2m bronze, and that sounded very good indeed on a Gyro SE.

I think the Bronze gets the best bangs for your bucks but, as you say, the upgrade will require purchasing a whole new cartridge but the Blue can always be sold on I suppose.
There's little point in getting half an upgrade by simply adding a Bronze stylus to a Blue cartridge, even if it can be done.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

This opinion is personal, but been there done that with the entire 2M range. If you have the cash to spare then it is a worthwhile upgrade. However, I moved on to Nagaoka some years ago as they more suit my listening taste. If I ever went back to 2M it would only be the Bronze as even though the Black is a great stylus I always found it too damned noisy... Bronze was the sweetspot for me.

The entire 2M syli are completely interchangeable between both cartridges but the Bronze/Black cart is superior to the Red/Blue and Silver cart. If you intend to change then you will need alignment and VTF gauges.

Which Project table do you own?

 

[SDF111R]

Hi all and thanks for the replies, looking like the Bronze maybe the one to go for

@DougK - I have a Project 2 xperience 2 pack (ridiculous name) connected to a Rega Elicit-r powering some Duevel Planets, it’s a great combination but I guess like a lot of us the upgrade itch has struck and the cartridge seems an obvious place to look.

 

[Al ears]

Hi all and thanks for the replies, looking like the Bronze maybe the one to go for

@DougK - I have a Project 2 xperience 2 pack (ridiculous name) connected to a Rega Elicit-r powering some Duevel Planets, it’s a great combination but I guess like a lot of us the upgrade itch has struck and the cartridge seems an obvious place to look.

I thought you might be questioning a simple stylus upgrade, if you intend replacing the whole cartridge and you like the Ortofon sound then the Bronze is a very safe bet although there are other alternatives.

 

[SDF111R]

@Al ears , yes, complete cartridge swap, I was aware the actual cartridge for Red/Blue is different to that used by Bronze/Black. I asked about the Ortofon range as I do like the sound but do appreciate there maybe better options and I would welcome recommendations up to £500

 

[Al ears]

@Al ears , yes, complete cartridge swap, I was aware the actual cartridge for Red/Blue is different to that used by Bronze/Black. I asked about the Ortofon range as I do like the sound but do appreciate there maybe better options and I would welcome recommendations up to £500

That's a good budget but think it's getting close to what your turntable / tonearm will do justice to.
You will get recommended the likes of Nagoaka MP200 and the like but if you like the Ortofon type presentation the Bronze is a good bet.
Failing that the good old Goldring G1042 is my go-to cartridge at this price point.

 

[Moman]

I have used both the 2M blue and bronze and I like them both with the bronze edging out the blue. I have switched to a Nagaoka MP-150 and have been enjoying it a lot.

 

[SDF111R]

A quick update and thank you all for your replies. A day or two after posing the question I spotted a few candidates on a well know auction site, one was the Bronze, an AT 740 and a Goldring 1042. I now have the 1042 and after 20 mins setting it up using the HiFi news setup LP I can say this is a worthwhile upgrade.
the sound is richer and slightly more detailed, digs a little deeper so bass is more defined. Overall a good step but a change that also shows the Ortofon Blue is a great cartridge in its own right.

 

[Moman]

Well that's good to hear enjoy your new cartridge.