Cartridge for Denon DP 3000 NE


Hello everyone,

I decided to upgrade my turntable in part because a persistent hum associated with the white cartridge wire kept defeating my best efforts, & that ProJect Carbon Debut tonearm wasn't readily re-wireable. Anyway, I got a very good deal on a new Denon as above. I attached my Ortofon 2M Black with some difficulty because it doesn't fit easily into the Denon shell. But I got it in, calibrated. All good. Until I noticed one channel played very faintly. I checked the anti-skate, vertical tracking & stylus force ... nothing had any impact. I swapped the Ortofon for a Grado Gold. That played both channels, but with a terrible hum, which I could not eradicate. Finally I put in an old Ortofon OM which I'd got with my first turntable. That played fine.

 

Incidentally, (or not), I use a small Parasound phono stage as well, which connects to the aux 1 on my Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II. Connecting directly to the Cronus phono jacks made no difference in how the Ortofon 2M played, but with the Grado Gold the hum disappeared, but it also failed to play both channels. With the Ortofon OM there was a slight hum when connected directly to the Cronus, but which disappeared entirely played through the Parasound. 

 

So I guess my question is, before I go & buy an expensive cartridge that doesn't work right, are there cartridges that simply aren't compatible with a unit such as the Denon? My Ortofon 2Ms (I have the black & the red) were getting due to be replaced at this point anyway, so I don't mind investing in a new one. I just want to be certain it will work correctly.

 

Many thanks....

andykatz

Showing 3 responses by andykatz

Hi, the Parasound doesn't have volume control, so I still need the Cronus. I bought a Denon DL103R (got a great deal on one), & it played perfectly: both channels, no hum or buzz. Because the Ortofon 2Ms really didn't fit into the stock Denon headshells, I bought a couple of inexpensive ones that were flat bottomed. First experience is that the Black 2M now lost gain on the right rather than the left channel using the aftermarket head shell. I'm going to have to check the wiring & try again. But very happy with the Denon so far;;;;;

Sorry if I wasn't clear about all my efforts to root out the problem. I used new ICs on the turntable. When I switched them from left to right the problem persisted on the left side. When I connected the turntable directly to the integrated amp's phono, bypassing the Parasound phono stage, it persisted there as well. Also, if it's a downstream issue, why is the Ortofon OM playing like a champ? 

Appreciate the comments.