Ortofon Replacement Stylus 2M Blue

Like most, I have a couple of records I use to test new equipment. My favorite is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I've listened to that album most of my life, on every format and type of equipment you can imagine, from basement bargin to esoteric high end. It's a record that will give any setup a nice workout. The one I used to test the Blue is the remastered 180 gram version.I was running an Ortofon Red cartridge on my restored vintage Dual 1019 and although I think the Red is a wonderful cartridge, I wanted to splurge a bit on an upgrade. Ortofon specifies that the only difference between its Red and Blue cartridges is the type of needle so with a $200 leap of faith, I ordered the Blue.Initial impressions;The soundstage got huge, with much improved channel separation. Not brighter but with a clarity and definition the Red couldn't manage. At first, I thought the Blue might have just a tad less bass than the Red but no, the Blue has very good bass, just more controlled and defined than the Red. Overall I'd say the Blue needle is more "exact" than the Red. I expect the needle will improve as it breaks in and I'll probably appreciate nuances I didn't pick up durring this initial listening session.Several other reviewers mentioned they experienced significantly reduced "clicks and pops" but I didn't notice that...same clicks and pops the Red reproduced.Next I put on Diana Krall's New Turn Up the Quiet" album. I'm not as familiar with this one as the Dark side Side of the Moon but it's a wonderful recording with a luscious mix. Some cartridges have a hard time with piano notes but the Blue needle did a great job. Close your eyes and this very talented woman will sound like she's playing right there in your room.On "No Moon at All", the Blue reproduced the strong, deep cello notes perfectly and was spot on with the upright bass lines...very impressive! On other songs you can hear the guitar player's squeaking fingers sliding up and down on the wound strings clearly, as well as the soft brush playing on the snare drum.I'll probably try playing this needle a bit lighter than the 1.80 gram weight I had on the Red, although Ortofon recommends the same weight, I think it'll track well just a bit lighter. Maybe that's why I haven't noticed the reduction in clicks and pops others have mentioned here?So yes, I think the Blue needle is a significant sound improvement over the Red and worth the price. After playing only five albums so far, I can already hear it smoothing out very nicely, because at first it sounded a bit harsh and strident but after about fifteen minutes it settled down. The Red did the same exact thing when I first installed it.

I had the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge installed on my turntable and was looking for an easy and cost effective upgrade. Well, this was exactly what I was looking for! The stylus was swapped out within literally seconds. I put on a record and couldn't believe how much detail and clarity I was getting. It is a subtle but noticeable difference. This stylus gives a bit more of an "honest" response than the Red, with no particular coloring here or there, but with every instrument present and well defined. I like it.

My aging BIC 1000 turntable, using a Shure V-15 type iii cartridge, finally gave out on me after many years of great satisfactory use. So I updated to a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC Turntable with Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge about one year ago. I have been using it for a year now and have been pretty satisfied with its performance, but found it falling slightly short of the Shure cartridge I was used to. After reading the many very positive reviews on amazon, I decided to splurge and make the purchase. Replacing the Red with the Blue could not have been easier. My equipment consists of a Technics SA-DX1050 Receiver, Polk Signature S60 tower speakers, and a Velodyne CHT-12 Subwoofer. The first record I decided to audition was The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty". I immediately noticed an increase in separation and a wider sound stage. The vocals were definitely cleaner and the harmonies seemed to blend seamlessly. I was also aware of a more powerful bass response that appears to be more well defined and deeper than the Red stylus. The high end also appeared to be smoother and not quite as harsh. Another improvement was a slight decrease in record surface noise, although my over 350 record collection has been maintained meticulously over the years, so it was easy to discern any differences in surface noise. I next played Dave Brubeck's "Time Out" classic. That album revealed subtleties that really shined through with the piano really sounding very full-bodied, sounding as if it was being played right there in front of me! I have since been playing many, many albums and discovering just how wonderful the upgrade to the Ortofon 2M blue was. I also own a Sony 300 CD mega-changer, which is completely full. And I now find that I prefer the clean analog sound over the CD digital sound. If you own the Red version, do not hesitate to move up to the Blue stylus. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. It is the smallest amount of money I have spent on my audio system to experience the greatest improvement ever! All I can say, if you can afford the $179 price tag that amazon is currently charging, go for it! You will definitely not be disappointed!