Tonearm/Cartridge Compatability


I am considering installing an Ortofon TA-110 tonearm and 2M Black cartridge on my renovated Thorens TD-124 turntable. However, I have some concerns regarding this combination:
a) Mike Fremer recommends that this cartridge be used in an arm that permits adjustment of VTA and SRA. I believe that the TA-110 has no such adjustment, nor an azimuth adjustment.
b) Using data on Vinyl Engine, I calculate the resonance of the tonearm/cartridge combination to be in the 6.6 range, significantly below the recommended 8 - 11. Consequently, I have some concerns regarding degradation of sound quality, which is my primary criterion.
Can anyone in this forum weigh in on this subject?
Thanks, GK
gregkraus

Showing 1 response by hdm

Personally, I do not think the Ortofon TA-110 would be an ideal match with the 2M Black; with that cartridge I would be looking for an arm with a slightly lower effective mass, something in the 12-15 gram effective mass range.

I also don't see much value in the TA-110 arm. It is made for Ortofon by Jelco. The TA-110 will definitely have adjustable VTA, although it appears to use a headshell inferior to the stock Jelco headshell, which is adjustable for azimuth.

The Jelco 750D (which the Ortofon certainly appears to be based on) also offers oil damping which is not available on the Ortofon and which would be beneficial with a medium to higher compliance cartridge like the 2M Black.

So you can spend approximately $1500 on the Ortofon and have no fluid damping capability and no adjustment for azimuth (unless you turn around and buy a Jelco headshell for it), or you can spend about $600-$700 on the Jelco 750D and get the oil damping and azimuth capability.

If you are fixed on the 2M Black I would probably look elsewhere at other arms but if you really wanted the Ortofon, I'd take the 750D over it in a flash under the circumstances.