Ortofon 2M Blue PnP Moving Magnet Cartridge

I recently purchased a Technics SL-1200GR and bought this headshell/cartridge combo to go with this table. First off, this headshell looks really good and has apparently been redesigned with newer materials to have lower weight to match the requirements of most S-shaped tonearms.I'm familiar with the sound of an Ortofon 2M Red and compared to that the Blue is definitely a step up. The Red exhibits a bit of bloat in the bass and lacks extension in the treble, both of which have been resolved in the Blue cartridge. This PnP solution mates perfectly with the Technics and sounds really good. I do think it's a little pricy since there is an $80 premium for the headshell, but when you consider the fact that you're essentially just plugging this into the tonearm with no necessity to align the cartridge, it's a huge time saver.To give some context to this review, I have a VPI Prime Signature table with a $1,000 MC cartridge mounted on it and compared to that setup, I'd say you get about 80% of the sound, which is simply mind-blowing given the price of this table-cartridge combo!

Having gone through a couple of cartridges, and battling trying to keep them aligned / balanced etc, I decided to take the plunge with the PNP variant Ortofon 2M Blue. After much reading and also discussing with friends who have a 2M series cartridge, I decided on the Blue as it's closest in specification to the Audio Technica AT120eb that previously was mounted to the 1200 (not a bad cartridge, and perhaps will be better suited to one of my other tables, but not the 1200) and given it's pre-mounted/fixed to a 52mm Baerwald alignment, it was a shoe-in. After mounting to the arm and adjusting the tonearm height to "1", tracking force (do yourself a favor, and echoing the other comments here, BUY A DIGITAL SCALE FROM AMAZON...IT'S A LIFE SAVER!) set to 1.8 grams (actually final measurement was a hair below at like 1.75g but honestly close enough, and matching anti-skate setting...I played the most problematic records where I experienced sibilant "S" and odd IGD on the AT120eb including Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat" (last inner track on side B), Dusty Springfield's recording of "The Look of Love" on the 1967 Casino Royale soundtrack and a host of others and there is virtually NO SIBILANCE and super balanced tracking with the Blue. Of course, the condition of the vinyl will play a part...grooves already worn will still sound worn, but just comparing the same LP with both cartridges, hands down Blue wins! Spend a little extra, mount it, balance it and play your records. You won't regret it!

Great sound! I upgraded from a AT95e. The highs are higher and crisp while still retaining a warm sound, but....BUYER BEWARE! This was to heavy for my tonearm/counter weight and there was no warning about the possibility of this being to heavy for my turntable on the Ortofon website. I had to improvise and use some Velcro and nuts/bolts to counter balance the weight for my Sansui FR-D35 just right. Luckily, I had my trusty Riverstone Audio Scale, to get the tracking force set up properly. In the future, I might replace the headshell, but the solution works for now and sounds great.

The fidelity of this stylus and cartridge is truly outstanding. I upgraded from a Audio Technica headshell and Ortofon red to this, and the difference is staggering. I've been hearing things on records I never knew were there before--on kind of blue, I can hear the spit in Miles' horn, it's quite subtle, but adds an extra dimension to music that I never knew was there. I'm never going back, this is worth every penny!

I upgraded from a Red to a Blue. Bottom line is I hear a noticable improvement. It is definitely a step up. However the shell this came in was a lot heavier than the red was, or previous cartridges as well. I was not able to balance my tone arm because the counterweight was not heavy enough. I looked into solutions and found clever solution that worked well for me. I wrapped lead tape I found at a golf store around the counter weight and was eventially able to calibrate it correctly. My turntable is a Technics SL-D202, old school.

Although not cheap, I think it’s a good buy considering the quality. I use it on my old technics 1210. I was talking to a hardcore hifi salesman recently and he mentioned I made a good choice and it was the best fit for my turntable. He recommends them for many technics and project turntables. I also love the convenience and look of the mount.

This Ortofon 2M Blue stylus is much more expensive than the 2M Red because it sounds WAY better. I have this installed on my Technics MK5, going into a Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 and WOW, what a sound! My music sounds so much better that it's almost unbelievable.The fact that this is a plug and play option made me purchase this. Very easy to install and all I had to do was adjust the tracking force.

I've had some time to really break it in and test it out on a couple setups and I can render my final short and sweet verdict. Absolutely wonderful sounding cart that is very detailed and provides a full spectrum of sound. This is definitely great as a reference cartridge when you want a solid picture of the actual recording quality.I gave it 4 stars because while it excels in providing brilliant details it does not always deliver the most aesthetically pleasing sounds. You may be getting playback that is true to the mastering and recording but it will often come across as cold sounding. Not always a drawback but if you want some color and character to your sound then this may not be the cart for you. Records will sound "warm" when they are mastered that way but they will rarely deliver that rich vinyl warmth some people are after.I'm currently running my cart through a Rega Planar 1, Cambridge Solo Preamp, Sony STR-DH190 receiver, and Klipsch R-15M speakers. The preamp brings some warmth back to this cart.

Superior soundLove it!

Klanglich dem Red deutlich überlegen. Ich habe mir die Pnp Version gekauft für meinen Reloop 7000 mk2. Passt perfekt! Einfach anschrauben, Tonarm auspendeln, Auflagegewicht und Antiskating einstellen... Fertig! Ein großer Vorteil der 2M Serie ist das tauschen der Nadel. Die Nadel Träger sind bei Red und Blue gleich. Ebenso bei Bronze und Black. Somit muss man sich nicht gleich die teurere Variante kaufen, sondern kann erstmal das günstigere System testen und später dann noch die teurere Nadel kaufen. Ich bin mit meinem Blue sehr zufrieden. Höhen Tiefen und Mitten spielen sehr sauber. Für meinen gemischten Musikgeschmack passt sie perfekt.

The media could not be loaded.  Arrivata ieri nei tempi previsti, imballaggio abbastanza sicuro, il montaggio è facilissimo essendo già montata sul suo supporto,presa per sostituire una audio tecnica entry level, ho avuto qualche problema con il peso poiché evidentemente supera il peso supportato dal braccio del mio onkyo cp 1050, non riuscivo a metterla a peso 0, svitando il peso per trovare la giusta calibratura lo stesso arrivava a fine corsa e usciva dal braccio, ho risolto prendendo una bilancina quindi ho potuto regolare il peso testina senza arrivare allo 0, (diciamo assenza di peso).Ora sto eseguendo il periodo di rodaggio e mi sembra che più passano le ore più il suono si stabilizza e si addolcisce, molto precisa con bassi belli presenti i medi sono chiari e definiti gli alti cristallini, nonostante sia il secondo giorno sono già molto soddisfatto e considerate che il meglio inizierà a darlo tra una trentina di ore, consigliatissima

Esta cápsula supone un salto de calidad comparada con la 2M Red. El sonido es más equilibrado, no sobrecarga las frecuencias bajas, como la Red, hay mayor separación de canales y mejor espacialidad de los instrumentos. En muchos discos la diferencia es ostensible, menos fritura, menos ruido de superficie, un sonido más limpio y relajado.Viene lista para montar en el brazo de forma rápida y sencilla.En los contras, el precio. Un poco elevado.

Excellent produit .Détails , basses bien présentes avec un son cristallin .Bravo.