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Ortofon 2M Blue Vs. Shure V15 III for a Kenwood KD-990?

A

Audio Maniac

Member
Hi folks!

I recently purchased a Kenwood KD-990 to replace my Philips GA-202 and am thinking of purchasing a "new" cartridge. Which one is better, a brand new Ortofon 2M Blue or a Shure V15 III + Ed Sanders elipitcal stylus?

If someone has a better idea, please I would like to know about.

My setup is as follows:

Luxman L-505u built in phono stage
Luxman L-505u integrated amp
Dali Mentor Menuet / Monitor Audio Studio 6
 
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I've owned both and I'm still using my V-15 III but with a Jico SAS stylus. Nothing wrong with the 2M Blue but for me the V-15 III/Jico SAS combo is the winner.
 
The ideal procedure would be to evaluate the cartridge-tonearm matching in terms of the value of the resonant frequency, i.e., using a tool like http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php . However, the effective tonearm mass of the KD-990 is not quoted in the user manual, e.g., http://www.vinylengine.com/library/kenwood/kd-990.shtml . If the tonearm is light enough (e.g., less than 9 gr), it would be a good match for high compliance cartridges like the V15. It seems that the Ortofon 2M Blue is also a high compliance cart ( http://www.vinylengine.com/library/ortofon/2m-blue.shtml ). If the tonearm is not light, perhaps it would be better to look for other carts for a better match in terms of resonance matching.

PS: in this thread the effective mass of the KD-990 is put on the medium-high mass realm (17 to 21 gr figures are mentioned): http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=24742 . If this information could be confirmed, then a lower compliance cart, different from the two mentioned, would be a better choice. Perhaps a MC cartridge?

PS2: with a 17 gr effective tonearm mass, the chart generated by http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php?eff_mass=17&submit=Submit yields 7 Hz for the resonant frequency either with the Ortofon or the Shure, this is on the lower side (the ideal range is between 8 and 12 Hz, http://www.theanalogdept.com/cartridge___arm_matching.htm ).
 
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Hola Guiller! Saludo!
Que tal?

I am going to write in English as my composition in Spanish is weak. I would like to avoid MC cartridge because of financial matters. I am not willing to spend that much on a cartridge (up to $150). This budget limits the options to few models, such as Nagaoka MP150, Audio Technica AT120E, Ortofon 2M Blue and Shure V15 III/IV.

Thank you for your very informative message.

Regards,

Ricardo

guiller said:
The ideal procedure would be to evaluate the cartridge-tonearm matching in terms of the value of the resonant frequency, i.e., using a tool like http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php . However, the effective tonearm mass of the KD-990 is not quoted in the user manual, e.g., http://www.vinylengine.com/library/kenwood/kd-990.shtml . If the tonearm is light enough (e.g., less than 9 gr), it would be a good match for high compliance cartridges like the V15. It seems that the Ortofon 2M Blue is also a high compliance cart ( http://www.vinylengine.com/library/ortofon/2m-blue.shtml ). If the tonearm is not light, perhaps it would be better to look for other carts for a better match in terms of resonance matching.

PS: in this thread the effective mass of the KD-990 is put on the medium-high mass realm (17 to 21 gr figures are mentioned): http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=24742 . If this information could be confirmed, then a lower compliance cart, different from the two mentioned, would be a better choice. Perhaps a MC cartridge?

PS2: with a 17 gr effective tonearm mass, the chart generated by http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php?eff_mass=17&submit=Submit yields 7 Hz for the resonant frequency either with the Ortofon or the Shure, this is on the lower side (the ideal range is between 8 and 12 Hz, http://www.theanalogdept.com/cartridge___arm_matching.htm ).
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A new Nagaoka MP150 seems to be outside your price range ( http://www.needledoctor.com/Nagaoka-MP-2150-Phono-Cartridge ) at least in the USA. What is your local situation? According to http://www.lptunes.com/Nagaoka-MP-150-MP150-phono-cartridge-p/nagaokamp150.htm , the MP150 compliance is medium so it has the potential to be a better match for your tonearm. However, it is low mass and the resonance chart ( http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_resonance_evaluator.php?eff_mass=17&submit=Submit ) yields a low value again.

The AT120E seems to be lower priced and within your stated range ( http://www.lptunes.com/Audio-Technica-AT-120E-AT120E-phono-cartridge-p/atc06.htm ). Compliance seems to be on the low side according to http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridg...sort=1&ascdesc=DESC&Search=Search&mod=AT-120E, but according to the resonance evaluator, the obtained value is optimal (10 Hz) .

The AT seems a better choice overall given your TT, but unfortunately I've never heard it. Perhaps someone else could chime in.
 
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