Benz Ace vs Ortofon Rondo

I would lean more towards a Denon DL-103R than to either of these. Don't know your tonearm though.

I assume you have the 9cc arm and that is too light for a Denon DL-103R so that should be out of the running.

I haven't compared those two carts (have heard a Benz Ace) but what is it that you do not like about the Blue Point No. 2? In my opinion it is a very good cart. If you haven't given it a chance to break in you will not hear the best from it. Also, what VTF are you running it at?

Just a note: checked your previous thread and noticed you have only had the TT for a month - unless the cart has had heavy use it is not broken in yet, it needs at least 50 hours and better yet 75. Also, take the money you were going to spend on a new cart and get a good outboard phono amp. IMO it will make a bigger difference to the sound than changing out the cart.

Hi Bumboola and others,
Thanks for your responses! I have probably played the TT about a 100 hours or so now. Listen to it quite a bit. What got me in the market to upgrade the cart was that I want to get a phono amp. I was thinking the GSP reflex C (or M). I thought for a newbie it would be easier to go with MC cartridges (I already have noise in my system and trying to take it out!). So I figured I would need a cart to go along with it (as the N.2 is a high output MC).
As for the No.2 sound ...well the sound does not move me as much (musicality). It lacks a soundstage (keep in mind that I am a newbie and not sure what I may be talking about) at lower volumes and when I increase the volume, it looses part of the crisp feeling of an instrument.

Strangely I liked it's sound at the 40th hour mark and now the same records seem to sound a little lifeless 60 or so hours later.

Any thoughts/help is much appreciated! Thanks

Jarraa,

If you already have noise in the system a LOMC would probably serve to exasperate it, not make it easier. The Graham Slee is an excellent phono amp but after reading your post I'm not so sure that is #1 problem right now. Do you have the Speed Box that Project sells? This will give the table near perfect speed stability that will considerably tighten up the sound of all instruments, as well as improve the soundstage.

Send me an email with your return address and/or phone number and we can discuss this further, I have a good amount of experience with this table and can walk you through everything step by step.

Exacerbate, not exasperate - really should preview posts before I hit submit. :)