Ortofon 2M Bronze 2M Black - GOLDRING 2400 RIVAL

THE RIVAL

As the vinyl market steadily contracted, Goldring were alone in improving their excellent 1000 Series cartridges, to the point where little else came close, I felt. Okay, so the 1042 isn't as clear in the midband as a moving coil, but neither is it priced anywhere close. It's an easy listen with well defined bass and finely differentiated treble, courtesy of its Fritz Geiger S stylus. The treble can sometimes seem a bit detached, but at just £160 you can't expect perfection...

Ortofon's new 2M Bronze is seemingly competition for the 1042, but perhaps not.  It is considerably more forward and detailed across the midband, as you might hope from a new breed of MM cartridge based on Neodymium magnets and better technologies. Less wire can be used in the field coils, reducing impedance, flattening response and clearing the sound. It's the sheer amount of mediocre copper wire in an MM that clouds the midband, as much as generator droop. But the Bronze doesn't have the 1042's bass, or its get up and go.

Further complicating the picture is Goldring's new 2400. This is another new-era MM, based on more effective magnetics - and you can hear it. I admire the 2400's tight-as-a-drum bass and translucent midband, but its treble is prominent and messy, being an unfortunate blemish on what is otherwise a fine landscape. I could not choose between the Goldring 2400 and the Ortofon Bronze; both are very strong in most areas, whilst at the same time possessing obvious character traits. This brings choice down to personal preference, the properties of the system they will be used in and even the LPs played.