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Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Goldring 2200 Phono Cartridge by freefallrob

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REVIEW: Goldring 2200 Phono Cartridge

89.145.215.245


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Model: 2200
Category: Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price: £109.25
Description: Cartridge
Manufacturer URL: Goldring
Model Picture: View

Review by freefallrob on July 24, 2009 at 07:44:26
IP Address: 89.145.215.245
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for the 2200


I've just 'upgraded' to a Goldring 2200 which I bought second hand 'very low hours'. I have experience of the Goldring 1012GX, 2M Red and Blue, AT110e, AT120e/t, K9(ruff), AT95e, Goldring Electra, Grado Prestige Black and Gold, Ortofon Super OM5e,10,30 and a few others although not all on the same arm/turntable.....

So you want to know what it's like don't you? You've looked for reviews in mags and on the net but there ain't any, are there!?

Well I can safely say that for the money it's brilliant. It's nicely packaged (I bit like posh aftershave or cuff links) , you get an allen key and two nice hex bolts, 'instructions' and the cartridge and clip on stylus guard.

Fitting to my RB250 type arm was straight forward, aligning it however wasn't so easy, why on earth do cartridge manufactures insist on making the bodies such stupid shapes, there's hardly a straight line on the thing!
I tried my best to align it baerwald with the longish cantilever which in it's self wasn't easy as it seems fairly high compliance (it gets deflected from straight), so anyway I managed it to my satisfaction with a little sweet talking.

I try and set the VTA so the top of the cartridge is as level as reasonable.

Set the tracking to 1.75gm ish and bias to 1, tried it on my test record, it tracks superbly well 90 microns, no worries here at all.


Sound:

Yes it makes sound.....thank god for that!
First impression is that it is slightly bright, but it's not really run in yet and I can 'tune' that to a certain extent anyway with mats/platters VTA etc. It has solid, tight bass and clear open midrange with plenty of space for stuff, the treble is detailed but a little bright with some splash but as I said this can be tuned a bit. Good stereo separation, out of the box sound, good depth perspective. It's very detailed, well lit and clear sounding so those after a romantic warm analogue sound need not apply, it's good CD like in balance which is not a problem for me, I don't like fluffy. It does show a little surface noise but it's not a problematic at all.
Dynamics are good, it keeps getting louder with the music and doesn't seem to compress like some others do, leading edges picked out well and decays are clear as they fall away. Inner groove tracking was very good for an elliptical.

For a budget cartridge I reckon it's a great buy, it's got plenty of get up and go, tracks well, it's detailed and dynamic and just a bit rough relatively speaking. It betters the 2M RED, AT110e, Grado Black by a large margin (it should) and is similar to the 2M Blue though it perhaps doesn't sound as concise. I no longer have the AT120e/t to compare, that gave a very wide sound stage, however the 2200 is more dynamic and has better bass. It has more 'pep' and clarity than the more laid back Goldring 1012GX, it sounds more interested and connected.

It's staying on the arm:).


Records used: Michael Jackson- BAD, Fleetwood Mac - Tango In the Night, Police - Synchonicity, Paul Simon - Graceland.

P.S I'll post some picys when I get chance.

Review system:

NAD C555 (Rega P2 clone) with Glass and acrylic platters, modified standard counter weight, damped main bearing.
Goldring PA1 phonostage.
Audioquest Sidewinder interconnects.
NAD C315BEE amp.
Supra Rondo 2x2.5 speaker cable.
Epos ELS3 speakers on modified Atacama Nexus stands.
Supra Lorad mains extension and Russ Andrews Silencer.
Goldring DR50 headphones.


Product Weakness: Maybe a bit bright for some. Horrid shaped body for alignment purposes!
Product Strengths: Solid bass and exciting open clear sound, mounting bolts need no nuts, tapped body.


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: NAD C315BEE
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None
Sources (CDP/Turntable): NAD C555
Speakers: Epos ELS3
Cables/Interconnects: Audioquest Sidewinder, Supra Rondo 2x2.5
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Michael Jackson- BAD, Fleetwood Mac - Tango In the Night, Police - Synchonicity, Paul Simon - Graceland
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Goldring 2200 Phono Cartridge - freefallrob 07:44:26 07/24/09 ( 4)