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Logical Upgrade after Project Debut Carbon (Ortofon Blue 2M)


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Looking a bit into the distant future here, but wondering what some options for the next tier of turntables that would be a logical upgrade. 

 

Here's what I'm working with right now, for reference: 

 

Turntable
 
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon
 
 
Cartridge
 
Ortofon 2M Blue Phono Cartridge
 
 
Slipmat
 
Simple Mat Record Mat
 
 
Amplifier
 
Cambridge Azur 351 A 
 
 
Pre-Amp
 
Bugle2
 
 
Speakers
 
Polk Audio Monitor40 Series II Two-Way Bookshelf Loudspeakers
 
 
 
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I had the same question a few years ago.

 

I was using:

Pro-ject Debut Carbon - acrylic platter and 2m red cart)

Marantz PM8004

Monitor Audio RX1s

 

I ended up upgrading to a refurb Marantz TT15-S1  for $1k  and some Craig's List Monitor Audio RX8s for $750.  

 

What upgrade is best for you is going to come down to your budget and some other considerations.  My first reaction is that you're going to get the best bang for your buck by swapping out the Polks.  When I first put my system together I was using some Monitor 70s that I already had moving to the Monitor Audio RX1s was a big improvement.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 10/18/2017 at 2:51 AM, biodigitaljazz said:

What sort of changes does the blue make over the default red?

Red = Bonded elliptical stylus tip (i.e. the entire tip isn't diamond, it's mostly metal with a little bitty diamond on the end and it is rounded at the end)

Blue = Nude elliptical stylus tip (i.e. same shape as the red but now the entire tip is diamond instead of diamond affixed to metal)

Bronze = Nude fine line stylus tip (i.e. same as the blue but now the tip is less rounded so you get deeper into the groove)

Black = Nude Shibata stylus tip (i.e. same as the bronze but now the tip is even MORE pointy so you get about as deep into the groove as you can)

 

As far as I'm aware the internals stay relatively the same (hence them all having the same form factor/output voltage/etc.) so what you get by switching is just a more "refined" sound in that your stylus is now able to get deeper into the groove and possibly bring to light new sounds you may not have heard in your records before. Whether you're actually able to discern those sounds is very user-dependent so unless you can go straight from red to black (this is definitely a very apparent difference) I would recommend hearing them in person.

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  • 1 month later...

Nice!

If I were you and wanted to improve your sound experience.

 

As I see it you have a decent system that do most of the things. If you swap some of your components to something perhaps better than you will end up with a similar system at the end. But that do the same but sounds differently and maybe better to your liking.

 

But where you do not have anything today is base. You do have 0 decibel in the range from 20 to approximately 100 hz.. So there you can invest in two base speakers. Than your system will be more complete in sound reproduction.

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