chubbler108 Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Has anyone ever used an Ortofon 2m Bronze or Blue cartridge before? I am currently using an Ortofon OM10, that came stock with my X-Pression II turntable. I don't know if its the cartridge or the way I have it set up, but as the needle works its way towards the center of the record it starts getting really distorted and sounds horrible. Does anyone know if getting a new cartridge will fix this? Also looking for comments on the Bronze and Blue. THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefwahoo Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Groove distortion is inherent with records http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/distribution/vinylp07.shtml But I'm guessing if yours is that bad, you have an issue with the set up of your cartridge. While I don't have a 2M, I've used Ortofon's cartridges for many years and as long as you follow the instructions for your cartridge, you shouldn't be having a problem like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbler108 Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 Groove distortion is inherent with recordshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/distribution/vinylp07.shtml But I'm guessing if yours is that bad, you have an issue with the set up of your cartridge. While I don't have a 2M, I've used Ortofon's cartridges for many years and as long as you follow the instructions for your cartridge, you shouldn't be having a problem like that. For most of my records, it sounds absolutely horrible when it gets the the center. I think that something is set up wrong. Does having a better cartridge decrease the amount of inner groove distortion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjaicomo Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I get this too, but it seems to be worse on some records than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefwahoo Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Groove distortion is inherent with recordshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/distribution/vinylp07.shtml But I'm guessing if yours is that bad, you have an issue with the set up of your cartridge. While I don't have a 2M, I've used Ortofon's cartridges for many years and as long as you follow the instructions for your cartridge, you shouldn't be having a problem like that. For most of my records, it sounds absolutely horrible when it gets the the center. I think that something is set up wrong. Does having a better cartridge decrease the amount of inner groove distortion? I don't know if there's a correlation between groove distortion and cartridge quality. I think groove distortion is typically only evident to audiophiles. I don't think most people even realize what it is or that it exists. I only know because my uncle's an audiophile and sets up my cartridges for me and spends an hour listening and adjusting over and over again. Despite the fact I'd never probably notice the difference. So I think if you're hearing it that badly, your cartridge is probably out of whack. It doesn't take much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjaicomo Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I really don't even know how to make adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minty Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Sound quality deteriorates the closer the needle gets to the center. Not sure how much distortion you guys are talking about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjaicomo Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I have speed issues as it gets closer too. Maybe I need a new belt, but my table is not very old. Less than a year. Hmm. I am going to try to get an acrylic platter this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 I have speed issues as it gets closer too.Maybe I need a new belt, but my table is not very old. Less than a year. Hmm. I am going to try to get an acrylic platter this summer. It's not a belt problem. Speed issues would cause it to sound "funny", not deteriorate the sound. Likewise, an acrylic platter will not fix the problem. Using a platter made out of a different material will only make the music sound "different', it will not affect the quality of the sound. Does that make sense? Well, it won't solve your issues. It sounds like your cartridge is out of whack or you're extremely sensitive to inner groove distortion. Adjusting the cartridge or replacing it altogether could take care of the alignment issues. If you find a local audio shop they should be able to do that for you pretty cheap. If you're just really annoyed with the inner groove distortion you're going to need a new tonearm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numanoid Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Your cartridge isn't set up right. Download a stylus protractor. Print it out, and it's pretty straight forward from there. It isn't an audiophile only problem, it is noticeable if your system isn't set up right (as is evidenced with this post). You can minimize this distortion by adjusting the arc your stylus traces, and the overhang. Also, more expensive cartridges track the center better, due to the size of the stylus. You really do get what you pay for. And if the distortion is as bad as you say it is, stop playing your records until you fix it. You can damage the groove wall and then even a super expensive stylus perfectly tracking will still sound distorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 I use a Denon DL160 on my VPI and I've never noticed any inner groove distortion. I set it up myself, however VPI includes a protractor with the table and the cartridge is very square, so it's not hard at all. It could be the cartridge is out of alignment. You can find printable cartridge protractors online if you Google. If that doesn't help, it's probably the stylus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbler108 Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 Thanks for your help everybody. I have decided that since my turntable has never really sounded that great, instead of getting the cartridge set up properly I am going to just get a better cartridge. And you guys are probably right, I think that my cardridge is out of line or something, because it sounds pretty bad after the first 2 or 3 songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Eh... I hope you don't plan on replacing it yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbler108 Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 Nope. The store said that they will install it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Nope. The store said that they will install it for me. Cool. Are you going with the Ortofon 2M? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbler108 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Nope. The store said that they will install it for me. Cool. Are you going with the Ortofon 2M? I'm definitely considering it. The store said that they are installing either a Blue or Bronze on a turntable similar to mine early in the week. I am going to go in and see what it sounds like in comparison to my table, and make my decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmonaut Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Cool. Are you going with the Ortofon 2M? I'm definitely considering it. The store said that they are installing either a Blue or Bronze on a turntable similar to mine early in the week. I am going to go in and see what it sounds like in comparison to my table, and make my decision. I've heard really good things about the Blue. The new issue of Tone has a review on that cartridge (it starts on page 42): http://www.tonepublications.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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