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Choices for my 2M Black/Xpression II rig: new stylus or new, different cartridge?

Posted by Garven (A) on May 30, 2012 at 09:03:12

It's been awhile since I posted about cartridge choices and I still haven't made any moves but am starting to think about doing so soon. I almost picked up the phone and ordered a new 2M Black stylus this morning, but decided to research a bit beforehand as maybe I'd be better spending that kind of money ($300-$400 street price here in Montreal last time I bought one) on an entirely different cartridge.

I currently have a Pro-Ject Xpression II with an Ortofon 2M Black (was a Bronze but I upgraded the stylus to a Black a couple of years ago). The stylus on my Black was bent towards the record spindle (I do recall it slipping from my hands once early one and slamming down onto a record label so perhaps that did it) and I could never get decent sound lining it up no matter what. Eventually I got courageous (or foolish), took some tweezers and carefully bent the cantilever slightly so that the stylus is centered. This helped the sound a LOT to the point where when I really line it up carefully and dial in the VTA (seems critical on a shibata), the sound is tremendous except for a slight edginess on strong sibilants, especially on some of the new 180g audiophile reissues that are out there.

So choices:

Buying a new 2M Black stylus
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I wonder if buying a new 2M stylus would resolve that edginess. I have my current one lined up about as well as I can be now using a small jeweler's magnifier and aligning the stylus itself carefully to a DIN-spec Baerwald arc protractor (my Xpression 8.6cc arm will not permit an IEC-spec version) so maybe the edginess would still be there with a new stylus and is simply a limitation of a. the vinyl medium, b. the cartridge, or c. the tonearm/turntable. If it weren't for the edgy sibilants, I love how the 2M Black resolves detail, bass, etc., On the other hand, maybe it's simple because no matter how carefully I bent the cantilever, the polished edges on the stylus are still not sitting quite where they should be in a groove and when they have to track a really strong sibilant they just can't do it (BTW, I have no problem tracking the third track on the Hifi test record and have the VTA very level, the antiskate balanced so that setting the needle down on blank vinyl it just sits there until a groove picks it up, abd my azimuth seems right on).

Moving to a different cartridge in the $300-$400 range
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I know the 2M Black supposedly (and arguably) bests all others in that range, but if I'm not entirely happy with it as is and a new stylus wouldn't resolve my issue with the edginess, maybe I should try something else.

Choices around Montreal seem limited. The dealers I know only carry Ortofon, Dynavector, or Goldring (Grado too yes, but I'm hesitant because I keep reading about hum problems and any samples I've heard online haven't impressed me). I used to have an AT150MLX I ordered from LPGear and liked its tracking but not its brightness or lean bass. A lot of what I read about the Denon line seems to indicate that I'd like their sound and ordering a DL301/II from the US might be an option and run me about the same price as a new 2M Black stylus. There's also the Dynavector 10x5, but I wonder how it would work with my Cambridge Audio 640P. Although the 10x5 is a high-output MC, I've read that it works best with 1k loading, and the MC input on the 640P is 100ohms. How about the new AT low-output MCs, the ATF3 or ATF7, anyone have any experience with them? The ATOC9/II also seems within my budget, but it might end up being overly bright and lean on the bass, like my old AT150MLX. What about Ortofon MCs? I rarely see much about those, only the big-ticket Ortofon MCs that are well beyond what my budget can handle.

Anyway, just throwing this out there for discussion to see what thoughts come up. Suggestions, thoughts? Am I expecting too much from the 2M Black on an Xpression? Maybe the edginess IS due to the table and won't be gone unless I move to something better. I've also thought of perhaps moving up to something else in the fall when my budget might permit a slight upgrade, perhaps to a Rega P3-24 or P5. In that case, I'd want to choose a cartridge that will work well with one of those.

Thanks for any suggestions.

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