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Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony Wood or Ortofon 2M Black Cartridge?

First post here, but I've been lurking and soaking up the knowledge. Thank you all for sharing your opinions.
I recently purchased a new turntable after a long absence. I bought a Marantz TT-15S1 which comes with a Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony Wood cartridge.


 A friend of mine would really like that cartridge from me and is willing to buy me the under $900 cartridge of my choice in trade for the Virtuoso. He recommended the Ortofon 2M Black, and in doing some research it seems like a great cart, but how would it compare to the Virtuoso?


 I should mention that my listening is mainly Rock (70's, 80's, 90's 00's) with some Jazz here and there. (Sometimes fairly aggressive hard rock / metal as well).
 While I know that the Virtuoso is an excellent cartridge I've heard it described as "soft" sounding. I've also heard the Black described as "aggressive" sounding which might better line up well with my source material(?) I've also heard that the black is harder to "dial in"


 I have not yet set up the Marantz so I'd like to pick a cart quickly and get that bad boy playing.
Anyone have experience with this table and both (or either) cart?
Or general takeaways on the differences between these 2 with any table?
Is any possible advantage of the black worth any added trouble in setup?
Thanks for your help!


shayatin

Showing 4 responses by shayatin

shayatin OP
4 posts
 

this is so odd to me....the Virtuoso wood is 900 dollars...why doesn't your friend just get his own? He probably could get a discount and pick it up cheaper.

Well he is trying to "help us both out" by guiding me to the Black, which of course he could buy me for less than he could buy himself the Virtuoso (though he really is a close friend so I dont think he is trying to take advantage).

There has been no negotiation beyond the Black and for the purposes of this conversation I'm just trying to get opinions on whether I would be better served by the Black.
.

shayatin OP
4 posts
 

Shayatin, You might want to rethink this. If you have a $900 budget there might be a better choice.

I'm thinking that perhaps I should rephrase this to read more like he will purchase me a comparably priced cartridge. I'm the one who used the $900 number based on the approximate retail of the Virtuoso. I wouldn't ask my friend to spend more on a replacement cart for me than he could pick up his own virtuoso for. I just don't really know what that real world price is.

Having said that if you feel that there are other cartridges in the same price range as a Virtuoso that you think would be a better fit to my listening tastes I'd love to hear it! 

What kind of phono stage do you have?

Well this is kind of the rub right now. I'm just getting back in to analog so for the moment this will be going into the phono input of my elite AVR. A dedicated phono stage is the plan, but I cant really swing it all at once. 

Also ochremoon- Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

shayatin OP
4 posts
 

I had the Marantz with the Virtuoso and it's a good combo. ... I too like rock and the 2m Black is head banger friendly!


Thank you so much for the response this was just what I was hoping for. Since you had the Marantz with the Virtuoso and you like the heavy stuff how was that combo for heavy rock? Did it sound "Soft"? That's really the only thing I'm afraid of with the Virtuoso.

I may PM you for more information if thats cool

Thanks!

shayatin OP
4 posts
 

@johnnyb53-

All of what you said above struck a chord with me and I think you are right. I should probably just enjoy the system the way it was designed (for a while), get more knowledgeable, and then be able to make better educated decisions a little further down the road.

Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated.

Steve.

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