Thank you. I feel the 2m bronze may have a harshness to it, perhaps related to its 10khz peak, an issue with the 2M’s. I could potentially equalize it out, but like to listen to albums in pure direct. Some vinyl recordings sound wonderful, but others not so, particularly with upper vocals. I replaced my cables and moved from a Schiit Mani 2 to the Rega. Better, but not perfect. Listening to Anita Baker right now. Music is perfect, but her voice is not. Cat Stevens in the lower octave singing sounds great, but not in his upper octave singing. Maybe it is not the cartridge, but it is the next logical step.
I also believe you splurge on speakers & cartridges for the largest impact on sound.
Hana ML teamed with Pro-Ject 1Xpression carbon classic and Rega Aria
i have been in the process of upgrading my main system. I think my next upgrade is the phono cartridge.
I currently have a Ortofon 2M bronze and am looking to upgrade to a quality mid priced MC. My research seems to point to the necessity of pairing tonearm, cartridge and phono preamp. I picked the Hana ML based upon Steve Hoffman ‘The Big Moving Coil Cartridge Poll - $1000 to $1300’, then reading reviews of the top cartridges on that list. Looking for a neutral, quality sounding MC cartridge. My pro-ject model has the 8.6 cc Evolution tonearm. I know I will need a new counter weight. The phono cable is Mogami 2549, 1.5’ to phono preamp, so very low capacitance.
My equipment:
Pro-ject 1Xpression carbon classic
Ortofon 2M bronze
Rega Aria
Marantz 7015 AVR
LSA Warp 1 amp (driving fronts)
KEF R11s
KEF R2C
IsoAccoustics Aperta center stand
Klipsch KSW 12 (left over… next to go)
Mirage nanosat rears (also left over)
Mirage unit-theater (using 2 channel for Dolby rear height)
Bluesound Node
Schiit Modi multibit 2 DAC
Qobuz
Transparent + speaker cables
Mogami 2549 interconnects - with a few core power mixed in
Thoughts on upgrading my system with the Hana ML? Any other recommendations? Thank you