Ortofon - 2M Black LVB 250 Replacement Stylus

Nude Shibata on a boron cantilever with Ortofon’s Nano Tube suspension — the top of the 2M range, and an upgrade for both the 2M Black and the 2M Bronze.

This is the stylus assembly from the 2M Black LVB 250, Ortofon’s Beethoven 250th anniversary cartridge, and it is the most consequential upgrade available within the 2M series — because in a 2M cartridge the stylus unit carries not just the diamond but the cantilever and the suspension too.

So three things arrive with it. The cantilever is boron rather than aluminium: extremely stiff and light, which Ortofon says adds transparency, speed and responsiveness. The suspension is Ortofon’s Nano Tube system, a rubber compound loaded with multi-wall carbon nanotubes as a nano filler, which the company says improves damping and overall performance. And the diamond is the same nude Shibata profile at r/R 6/50 µm as the standard 2M Black — the tip is not upgraded, its carrier is.

The stiffer cantilever wants slightly more tracking force: 1.6g in a narrower 1.5 to 1.7g window. Ortofon lists this stylus as the replacement for the 2M Black LVB 250, 2MR Black LVB 250 and 2M Black LVB 250 Premounted, and as the upgrade for both the 2M Black and 2M Bronze families.

Features

• Boron cantilever — the only boron cantilever in the 2M range
• Nano Tube suspension using multi-wall carbon nanotubes as a nano filler
• Nude Shibata diamond, r/R 6/50 µm
• Fits the 2M Black LVB 250 family as a replacement, and the 2M Black and 2M Bronze families as an upgrade
• Recommended tracking force of 1.6g in a 1.5 – 1.7g window
• Slides on and off — no realignment needed

Specifications

• Type: Replacement stylus unit for Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250; endorsed upgrade for 2M Black and 2M Bronze
• Stylus Type: Nude Shibata on a boron cantilever
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 6/50 µm
• Cantilever: Boron
• Suspension: Ortofon’s Nano Tube system — a rubber compound using multi-wall carbon nanotubes as a highly efficient nano filler
• Stylus Colour: Black
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, +2 / −0dB as published on Ortofon’s stylus page. See note below
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 80 µm
• Compliance: 22 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Tracking Force Range: 1.5 – 1.7g (15 – 17mN)
• Recommended Tracking Force: 1.6g (16mN)
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Replacement For: 2M Black LVB 250, 2MR Black LVB 250, 2M Black LVB 250 Premounted
• Upgrade For: 2M Bronze, 2MR Bronze, 2M Bronze Premounted, 2M Black, 2MR Black, 2M Black Premounted
• Installation: Fitting takes seconds and needs no realignment — the stylus assembly slides on and off the cartridge body, so your overhang, azimuth and tracking force settings are never disturbed
• Stylus Life: Ortofon rates its styli at up to 1000 hours with proper care, and reckons DJ use at about 500 hours at most. This is a general figure across the range rather than a per-model specification
• Cleaning: Ortofon warns specifically against propyl alcohol and other cleaning fluids, which can seriously damage the diamond cement and the suspension system
• Origin: Ortofon A/S of Nakskov, Denmark. Ortofon states that all its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark
• Warranty: Ortofon Inc. covers products bought from an authorised US dealer for one year against defects in workmanship and materials, and excludes expendable items. A stylus is an expendable item, so a worn stylus is not a warranty matter — this is a replacement part, not a claim
• Note: Ortofon publishes contradictory frequency response figures for the LVB 250: this stylus page gives +2 / −0dB while the cartridge page gives +2 / −1dB. Since the stylus assembly carries the cantilever and suspension, both cannot be right. We have quoted the stylus page figure here and flagged the conflict rather than quietly picking one. Note also that Ortofon markets this as an upgrade rather than an equivalence — fitting it to a Bronze body is a substantial improvement, but Ortofon stops short of calling the result a 2M Black LVB 250