I upgraded the cartridge/stylus to an Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII. I enjoyed the Ortofon Concorde Elite but wasn’t quite satisfied with it so I returned it. I was able to find a 2M Black plug-and-play edition brand new for a great price so snagged it. The sound quality to my ears is night and day compared to the Concorde Elite. I was previously using an Ortofon 2M Black on my last turntable and loved it. I went with the 2M Black PnP MkII version for its ease of use no aligning etc just plug it into the tome arm set the tracking force and anti-skate you’re ready to go. I think I am now super satisfied with my new Technics SL-1200 MK7.
Love this cartridge as well. It also for some reason reminds me of an older style tonearm and cartridge. Blends well with the shell and arm.
Hey Paul I was very interested to read about your cartridge switches. I had noticed the change in audio – there was a lot more treble and mid presence with the Concorde Elite, which I wasn’t a fan of I’m afraid, so I’m really glad you’ve gone back to the Ortofon Black. 🙂 It’s a great cart. A few years ago I went to an Ortofon presentation at a hifi shop where they went through their range (the red, yellow, blue and black, as well as their Moving Coil and high end models). The Black options were def the most… Read more »
Pure beauty. Congrats and enjoy 🙂
Great to hear you like it. Congrats on the upgrade!
Very nice! I’m curious what the difference is with regards to rumble/background noise on the Technics vs. the Pro-Ject? I know the Pro-Ject probably has better isolation from the motor with the belt, but was curious if you tested the noise floor between the two with nothing other than a silent bit of track recording?
Amazing!!
I love my 2M Black PnP! The sound is unbelievable! I had mine since 2018.
Nice!!! Someday when I upgrade I will keep this in mind.
Fantastic, Paul, I´m so happy for you. I am quite satisfied with my 2M Blue. Next stop 2M Black. 🙂
Keep partying, enjoy New Year´s Eve. 🙂
s´n´d
I thought you’d go back to the 2m black,as its a fantastic sounding quality cartridge.Great choice..
What’s your thought on LP’s pressed from source material that was recorded digitally? Is it still the same as analog recordings released to vinyl?
It is still analog in itself. However, there are digitally mastered vinyl editions sometimes there will be a sticker located on the record stating “All Analog”. If it was mastered from all digital I would have to say it’s not totally analog. I am sure this is a controversial topic. I choose to buy either vinyl that says it’s all analog or records pressed from back in the day.
Right On…
Took You long enough… :-p
Awesome news. To my ears, all the Concorde carts suffer from inner groove distortion and unfortunately the Elite is no exception. Great choice with the 2M Black.
Excellent news. Did you have to adjust the VTA with the PnP cartridges?
For the PnP cartridges, you have to check that the tonearm is parallel to the platter. If not, you have to adjust the height of the tonarm. Thats it…
Yes I adjusted the Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA) I set it to 1.
Hi Paul,
honestley, I am not surprised about your decision.Can you describe what bothers you about the sound quality?! I returned my Elite long time ago and I am happy with my 2M Blue PnP MKII.
The Concorde Elite didn’t have the magic that I am used to with the 2M Black there was also more sibilance and inner groove distortion.
I couldn’t detect distortion with my setup but the sibilance was the main reason for me…thx for the info.
Yes sibilance was noticable on some of the tracks you posted with the Elite.
It felt like a downgrade to me when you went with the concorde. Glad you found another black instead!
Sweet set up Paul
Quite sexy, Paul!! I’m so happy because you’re happy!! Looking forward to the new year!!
Jeff
So pleased you made the change back to a 2M Black. It is a better cartridge 🙂