Denon DL-110 vs Ortofon 2M Black

I've been wanting to upgrade to an MC cartridge for awhile and the opportunity recently presented itself via a NIB Denon DL-110 from Japan at an affordable price. My fears that my Musical Fidelity V90-LPS would have insufficient gain to drive it were immediately proven to be unfounded as I'm able to obtain a comfortable listening level at about 11 o'clock on the dial on my Cambridge Audio 640A amplifier. First impressions are very good, considering that the cart hasn't even begun to break in yet. It's already an improvement over my 2M Blue and Nagaoka MP-110 which were my top MM carts in my collection

And you know, Luca, I totally agree. You nailed it. The round, less precise sound of belt drive turntables may tame the 2M. Well, as promised

My Blue Point slurred the S's and the Audio Technica cartridge on my Technics SL-1700 also was very sibilant. The Denon reproduces the S's very sharply with no overt sibilance. Dropping the needle on Micheal Jackson's Billy Jean from "Thriller", another track that give cartridges issues, played very well. The sound stage width is very nice, too

inevitable pops etc.. seem to be pushed to the back, separation of instruments vastly improved as well as more pronounced and defined sound stage. With one preamp, amp combination it was a bit bright

I used this cartridge in the latest Rega RP3, NAD 350, HD650, very clear but with a harsh edge. I am now using a Grado Reference Platinum 2, which is as clear as the Denon but smoother. The Denon is very good but a bit aggressive. My preference is the Grado

My love for this cartridge goes back to over a decade when I bought this new back in 2009 moving magnet. At the time this was Artifon's flagship movin...

The popping went away in Phono, so I figured no big deal, swapped to Phono and: Issue 2: So. Much. Treble. If I were to graph it: 2/10 on bass, 0/10 on mid, 11/10 on treble

I expected a subtle improvement that I would have to listen for going from the blue to the black... I was WRONG! I feel like I had been listening to AM radio for years and just discovered FM Stereo! It is a huge improvement