Overhang for Ortofon 2M Bronze on Rega RB301

There's no such thing as one correct alignment. Different methods yield different results but none are perfect. My guess is that those who have it flush with the headshell used a two-point gauge and not Rega's single-point gauge.

As far as tracking, it's usually safer to go heavier than lighter. Too little force and the stylus can be thrown around in the groove, resulting in micro damage. Believe me, 1.7g is not going to result in significant record wear.

If you're spending $400 on a cartridge, why not invest an additional $40 on a test record? This way, you'll know whether the cartridge is performing properly at your preferred setting. If not, you can try it at 1.5g, 1.6g and so on until you get a good result. The Hi-Fi News test record is my favorite. It comes with good instructions and a two-point alignment gauge as a bonus.

I just noticed while setting up my 2M Blue that there's a little round dot in the top of the cartridge that sits right where the third screw in a Rega cartridge would be. If you align that dot with the center hole in the headshell, you're almost home free. It's a great feature for "roughing in" the position of the cartridge before tweaking with help from an two-point overhang gauge.

01-10-09: Bobgates
Ekobesky - just wanted to let you know that I did bump the tracking force up to 1.6 grams and then 1.7grams; it does sound even better now. Now I'm wondering where I can find a blank album so I can accurately set the antiskate?

The Hi-Fi News test record has a blank area, along with many other useful tests.

The better the stylus, the more critical proper setup is. The 2M Bronze is next to the top of the line so it will benefit you greatly to optimize alignment, tracking force and anti-skating. Unfortunately, those are the only parameters you can work with on the RB301, though you can adjust the arm height using spacers though it's probably not necessary in this case.

01-15-09: Johnbrown
Oh, and as an aside.....a 'blank' record cannot be used for anti-skate adjustment. Just saying. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't a clue.

01-22-09: Onetwothreego
Skating force is caused by the drag of the stylus in the groove during heavily modulated passages. If you are setting it by watching it on a blank disc, you are not setting anything. But at least you are having fun!

Huh??? Skating force caused by drag?

Last I heard -- and maybe this is old physics or something -- but skating is a simple byproduct of centripetal force. Anti-skating by spring or weight or twisting tonearm wires (as on a VPI arm) is a means of counteracting it.

Therefore, a blank record absolutely can be used to at least ensure that whichever antiskating device is being used is (a) functional and (b) at least somewhat properly calibrated.

Using the blank band on the HFN test record, when the stylus hovers in the center of the track without moving inward or outward, then antiskating force is equal to tracking force -- albeit in a vacuum of sorts. Using an unfamiliar arm, it at least gives the user a jumping off point.

I say...who cares?

The amount of skating force varies across a record's playing surface anyway. The right setting for the beginning of a record is the wrong setting for the end and vice versa. Just as there is no single correct alignment methodology.

My feeling -- which has served me right for over 20 years -- is to simply pick one darn school of thought and enjoy the music.

With regard to antiskate: on a Rega arm, confirm that the mechanism even works. Then set it to equal the tracking force. Tweak it by ear if necessary but don't listen for problems. Listen to the music. If you happen to hear something wrong, then investigate. Because with all the variables involved with analog playback, and so many imperfections and compromises at the budget end of the spectrum, if you want to listen for something wrong then that's exactly what you'll hear.

That still doesn't change the fact that, as far as Bobgares' RB301 is concerned, the amount of skating force will vary across a record's playing surface anyway so no matter what he does, it will be wrong at some point, whether at the beginning of the record or the end. And by the way, I never said using a blank disc was 100% accurate, but I still believe it's a useful jumping off point.

This is a fun discussion but it doesn't help Bobgates. So instead of disagreeing with me, let's ge back to helping Bob with his setup. If I'm wrong, that's fine -- even though I've been doing it wrong for 20+ years and my setups sound great and my records are in great shape.

So...your turn. Tell Bob how he should be doing it so he can stop worrying about setup and start enjoying music.

01-24-09: Onetwothreego
From what I understand, drag/friction of the stylus in an actual groove is about 1.4 times higher than that produced by a blank record. Using the blank record as a "jumping point", once the stylus stops moving he could increase anti-skate by a factor of 1.4 times its current setting to get something that should work on an actual record.

I'll have to give this a try. With so many divergent opinions on antiskating, ranging from "it does more harm than good" to those in favor of one method or another, I tend to just do what the tonearm manufacturer recommends. In the case of Rega, I just set the antiskating to equal the tracking force and pray that I picked the right religion. Of course, just as with that debate, you won't know if you were right until it's too late to do anything about it!

By the way...I haven't heard the 2M Bronze or Black but I love the Blue. I tend to agree with your guess that the Bronze is probably the sweet spot and that's probably the way I'll go sooner or later.

01-29-09: Bobgates
Ekobesky - I use that dot on the top of the 2M Bronze as point of reference also. I have the dot just back from the center hole on top of the headshell so only half the dot shows.

That sounds a little far forward to me. In my headshell, it's dead center. I align to the cantilever using a B-L two-point template. What are you using?

I think the I think the Black would be overkill, especially if you are running it through the 400's phono stage. In fact, if that's what you're doing, the P5 is overkill, too -- though that's my kind of overkill!

I would go with the Bronze. You can always upgrade to the Black stylus anytime.

The 2M is a very resolving series of cartridges and it has plenty of high frequency detail. I think it would balance nicely with the rest of your system.

As far as surface noise, however, the 2M doesn't perform as well as some low-output moving coils in the same price range but it is state of the art in terms of moving magnets. Again, if you're using the Fisher's built-in phono stage, a low-output MC isn't an option anyway.

No spacer necessary -- unless you have a thick aftermarket mat or something. The entire 2M series was designed around the Rega tonearm family from the RB250/251 on up.

I would say surface noise performance will be at least comparable to, but quite possibly better than, the DL-160. That's extrapolating from my experience with the Denon vs the 2M Blue.

Alignment will be critical since the 2M Black has a fine profile stylus. Spend some extra time. You can rough it in very easily. Just look at Ortofon's publicity photos of the 2M mounted on a Rega arm. There's also a little star-shaped dot that should be centered right where the third screw would be in a Rega three-point cartridge mount.

I think you'll be well satisfied with the Black overall, and the stylus should last a good long time with proper care. I wouldn't be surprised if you attained 1000+ hours with gentle use. So, in those terms, it represents a good value as well.

The 2M should come with a clip-on stylus guard. Better to use that than remove the stylus over and over again. It's a little tricky to use but there's more potential for damaging the stylus or cantilever by removing the stylus unit than by installing the guard.