Ortofon 510MK II upgrade advice

Richard1969

Novice Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
54
Location
Peterborough, England
Hi folks

My first post, but I hope to be as involved in the forum as much as my limited experience will allow.

To get started, a little advice please...

I have had a ProJect 2 TT for about four years now. I guess it's about ten years old. I haven't used in much so far but now it's the main source in my home office set up and it's getting 3-4 hours use each day. I listen to all kinds of music but mostly old jazz records. My preference for sound from these is smooth and warm, to put it simply.

The TT runs via a Cambridge Audio CP1 phono preamp (literally just got it an hour ago) into either a Denon UD-M30 micro system or a Pioneer A-300X amp into an old pair of Mission 77 speakers - I have other speakers, including some Musical Fidelity Kestrel SE floorstanders and try different pairs from time to time.

The stylus no doubt needs changing due to age. So my three options, with my thinking, are:

1. Just get a replacement 510 stylus for 50 quid and the fact that it's a brand new stylus will itself be a small 'upgrade' at good value. With my limited component quality, a more expensive upgrade won't make much difference.

2. Upgrade to a 520 stylus for £150 (as advised by a respected hi fi retailer) as I should notice a considerable improvement in sound.

3. Upgrade the cartridge - lots of choices and prices, and again should see a big improvement. (The retailer however suggested a stylus upgrade rather than a cartridge upgrade.)

So I guess the two schools of thought are 'your system is very limited, so just get a replacement 510 stylus until you upgrade amp and/or speakers' OR 'spend as much as you can on a new stylus/cartridge and get onto the amp/speakers when funds allow.

I'd greatly appreciate advice. Bottom line is, I'd hate to spend £150 on a stlyus/cartridge only to hear no real improvement due to limitations of the other components.
 
I had a ortofon 510 mk2 on a vintage trio Kd1033 deck for a few years, changing the stylus a couple of times. Found the sound harsh unless it was on a pristine pressing or reecording. I had almost given up on vinyl. I did'nt want to spend c £50 on a new stylus either. Spent £30ish on a Audio Technica AT95e. Loads more detail, better imaging, less surface noise. Finished it off with a Rega mini FONO from ebay. Tried the Project phono box and not that impressed. Rega Carbon cartridge is bascally a AT91 so I wonder if Rega made their phono stage with one of these in mind.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom