Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsImmediately on another level over the red, not even broken in yet
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019
For the last two years, I've looked at the Blue from the sidelines, as I outfitted all (3) Technics SL-1200MK2's in the house with 2M Red's. I enjoyed the performances the Red laid down, and didn't question I had the best value at the time as Reds can be had anywhere for a Benjamin. With two young kids in the house, I felt at ease teaching them how to run the table (cue lever, handling the tonearm, etc.). If the worse happened and they bumped the arm, dropped it, etc., and the needle broke, better to lose something that isn't spectacularly expensive.
Well, time goes by, and your ears adjust to your setup, you hear more of what you're getting and what you're missing, particularly when you go over to a friend's house who has a much more expensive cartridge, and you eventually get the itch. One of my three tables regularly had nasty inner groove distortion, and it was the nicest, newest table of the three, so something was up. I got an Ortofon protractor and got it better aligned than its neighbor who still outperformed. Enough of this happens, my birthday comes up, and I finally bite and order the Blue.
Simultaneous to this, I replace the headshell with another identical Technics (I could never get the problematic Red secure in the old shell so it moved around easily, which in hindsight likely caused some of the issue - found out the screws used were too long and bottomed out before I could fully secure the cartridge).
The afternoon testing begins with some Bach. The needle drops and finds the groove notably faster than the Red, and surface noise is nil. I find the overall response more lush, but lacking a little in the top end and the very bottom. I let the whole side play, enjoying the nuance of the piano strings - you can hear them vibrating more and even the mallets hitting them in some cases.
I then shake it up and play some Doobie Brothers, an old tired copy of Stampede, starting with "I Cheat the Hangman". I've heard this song a number of times before, but the muted electric guitar and vocals are more haunting, open, and the stage is wider. Everything is breathing more and has more presence. Then I grab "One Step Closer" and play the title track. The opening drums have so much energy you'd think they were playing in the room.
Then I have a cousin over to celebrate and we go off the reservation for a few hours spinning a few complete albums, starting with Styx - Pieces of Eight. With "The Great White Hope", anticipation builds as you hear layers you didn't know where there. "I'm OK" blasts through with the opening drums, again with urgency and sustain never heard before. You hear the drum hit, the transients, and the reverb, and it demands attention and respect. "Sing for the day" brings Tommy to the front, cutting clearly and making the connection. "The Message" was clear and balanced, but missing the ABSOLUTE bottom end bass notes which I assume will come more as the stylus breaks in. "Blue Collar Man" has the intro vocals clearer than ever with an ethereal staging to them, you can't really tell where it's positioned. The bass drum comes through like a muted heart beat, to great effect.
This overall enjoyment continues as we proceed to Tommy Shaw's "The Great Divide", a solo Bluegrass effort with him on mandolin. No frills, just smooth, honest, like you remember with old RCA country records.
Next up is Rush's "Signals". "Subdivisions" presents like never before. Neil Peart's drums stand out beautifully. The mix (and Geddy and Alex) know how to co-exist and not step on others' toes and let their talent all shine through. Neil's performance, in particular stands out, however; the talent is on full display and can't be missed or denied. "Chemistry" in particular stands out with its thick bass guitar and tight rhythm.
With each album, I find myself anxious with the end of each side, where things would get semi-atrocious on the old setup due to inner groove distortion (again, I have two other Red's on the same table model and setup, and they don't suffer from this, so don't take this as a dig on the Red). Here I find no loss other than what comes from less surface area due to CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) nature of records. I feel more relieved with each passing side.
The evening ended with a single track off Steely Dan's "Aja", because why not - "I Got the News". Again, the notable improvement was the drums. Donald Fagen's dry delivery is that much dryer, Walter's guitar cuts sharper, piano is more sublime, everything just sounds better and makes you want to listen to more, the ultimate compliment a music aficionado can give.
Both of us were able to successfully disappear into the music landscape for the evening; lava lamp on, room lights off, accent lights for the tables lit, beer growler disappearing, super pleased in my decision and results. Transition from red to blue could be something as simple as just changing out the stylus as the cartridge is otherwise identical inside. Output impedance is the same, recommended tracking force is the same, output level seems identical, frequency response is wider on the high end with the Blue. I wanted to change everything in case somehow the Red cartridge itself was misaligned or defective, so now I have a complete spare setup (now tightened with the right screws) I can throw on in a pinch in 30 seconds.
Surprisingly, it seems like the Blue cuts deeper in the vinyl and gets past some surface imperfections, giving you quieter passages between tracks, and a cleaner overall experience. Makes one wonder if it really could be this much better someday going from Blue to Bronze.
I recommend this cart for any number of applications, rock, jazz, classical, I think they all benefit from its design.
