Ortofon Kontrapunkt B

I have the Kontrapunk a. I've been through many many cartridges, including the Exact ,and I have this ortofon to be among the 2 or 3 best on my turntable.

Among the best have been the Dynavector 17D2MK II (which sounded better than anything else I tried on the P9, save the Linn Asaka, which I also liked on the P9), the Linn Asaka, the Kontrapunk a, and the Ortofon MC25FL. I didn't get along with the P9, and so most of the experience I have is with the Lp12.

The most striking aspect of the Kontrapunk was its neutrality. I felt that among all the "great" cartridges I have had, the k-a had less "character" than any of them. The dyna was thinner (if a bit faster and more incisive), and the MC25FL was coloured (but really enjoyable--no complaints). The k-a just strikes me as really neutral. Not greyed out, not overly lush, not anything. It just kinda plays whats on the disk--very well indeed.

I felt the exact was too thin and bright. I don't think it has enough "colour" to do justice to a lot of the music I play. I felt that everything was just a bit more "greyed out" than it otherwise should have been. But it's fast (so is the kontrapunk).

Over the last 3 years I have been through about 10 cartridges. But, I've had the Ortofon Kontrapunk a (and only the Kontrapunk a) on my Lp12 for the past year--and I have had NO inclination to listen to other carts. In fact, I don't think about it at all. THAT is HUGE praise coming from me, trust me.

Judd

My freind has recently done this exact (!) upgrade (after asking for my advice).

It's really a no-brainer on a non-Rega turntable - my personal feeling is that if you liked the Exact's speed and excitement, you won't be disapointed with the Ortofon whilst getting the benefits of deeper bass, lots more detail and generally more finesse. Apparently the initial slight tonal harshness has faded over a few weeks. It is a very nice cartridge and generally more of a match for the P9 class of TT.
One point that may or may not be important - the Ortofon is quite a bit deeper (ie higher) - but don't Rega supply spacers to go under the base of the arm for this purpose?
The other slight disapointment are the slightly cheap looking gold plated slotted screws - you really have to use them since the Ortofon has blind threaded holes and various length screws are provided to suit the arm. The standard Rega screws though much more substantial are too long.

Justin, Jeremy,

Thanks for your wisdom. I've been offered a new 'B' for $600 , so I think I'll go for it. Which boards do I need for the 72? 'K' or 'S'?

Thanks

Colin

My freind uses K boards which seem to work fine.

The Kontrapunkt B has a higher output than many of around 0.4mV. You would be advised to get S boards therefore.

It's also quite a tall cartridge so you will need spacers from Rega - not sure which size they should be.

When you're setting up the 'B' don't forget that it has azimuth adjustnment in the ofrm of a ridge diown the centre of the top plate. This allows you to adjust the vertical setting of the cartridge independant of what the arm is doing. You MUST set this correctly or it will sound horrible.

It takes about 100 hours of running in during which time it will spit at you like a snake. Once it's settled down it is a very fast performer if a little forward (in my view).

$600 is a great price for a new 'B'. Have fun...

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.