Ortofon 2M Range
We will price match, but not to gray sellers
Why upgrade your cart? Well, it's quite simple. You know how much better vinyl sounds than digital (MP3, streaming etc)? Yeah, if you jump up to the 2M range, you are gonna get a similar improvement!! We are not kidding. We did not believe it either (coming from DJ background with our crappy, tinnitus ears) but when we ran one of our regular carts against the 2m Blue - HOLY COW.
This is not to say that your regular home cart is not great, it is; they are. And they are 1000 times better than compressed digital rubbish. But if you want even fuller, rounder, more defined sound, go no further. We recommend the Ortofon 2M Red if you are budget conscious and the Ortofon 2M Blue which is our favourite - but going up the range simply gets your more clarity and definition..
Basically the blue and the red have the same sound profile but the blue has a naked stylus which - while sounding super sexy - just means that the needle is embedded directly into the cantilever tube. In the red it is set into an aluminium cone on the cantilever. This means that the blue has less damping and is clearer. It also explains the price difference - more diamond. Both the Red and the Blue are elliptical;as you go further up the range, you get ever more intricately cut diamonds (see below)
Why Ortofon?
They have been making needles since long before most of us were born, that's why. And plus, Denmark is cool. But really, they know their business; this is what they do!
Each of the 2M Series cartridges has its own individual sonic expression, and all five models together represent the ensemble of five classic variations:
2M Red: all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth - $169 - elliptical stylus
2M Blue: adds more dynamics and resolution, sounds more open and reproduces more details - $329 - nude elliptical stylus
2M Bronze adds even more details and resolution but in a very evenhanded way that pays respect to all elements - $529 - fine line stylus
2M Black is the best of everything, true to the groove with resolution and accurate insight into each recording - $849 - nude shibata stylus
2M Mono ($449) is a true mono cartridge for playing mono vinyl records
The 2M Series is designed for precise and accurate retrieval of the information in the record groove
The 2M Series is developed in conjunction with the Danish Industrial designer Møller Jensen Design – the same designer who designed the award winning MC Jubilee and Kontrapunkt series. Inspired by the facets of a diamond, whose contours gracefully trace the grooves on a record’s surface, the 2M’s handsome elegance establishes a great combination of form and functionality.
The name 2M was selected from among several ideas. We wanted a modern name that would be easy to pronounce and remember, and therefore an alphanumerical name was chosen. 2M means MM, which is the abbreviation for moving magnet.
Of course the 2M isn’t just another pretty face. It has been engineered to the highest standards and is congruent with Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration.
The 2M series of cartridges features Ortofon’s trademark split pole pins, an invention that enables moving magnet cartridges to have a flat frequency response, as with a moving coil cartridge. Split pole pins were invented by Ortofon, and were originally presented in the 500 series and Super OM series.
We have optimized the design for ease of mounting the cartridge, and the weight and size to fit the most common turntables on the market today. The 2M Series provides excellent compatibility when used in an assortment of playback systems and with a wide variety of phono preamps.