Ortofon - 2M Black MM Phono Cartridge

The top of the standard 2M line: a nude Shibata diamond at r/R 6/50 µm on the same silver-plated engine as the Bronze.

The 2M Black and the 2M Bronze are, electrically and mechanically, the same cartridge. Identical 5mV output, identical 1dB channel balance and 26dB separation, identical 22 µm/mN compliance, the same 1.2k ohm and 630mH generator with silver-plated OFC coil wire, the same polymer and aluminium body, the same 7.2g weight and the same 1.5g recommended tracking force. Every difference between them is in the diamond.

The Bronze carries a nude Fine Line at 8/40 µm. The Black carries a nude Shibata at 6/50 µm — a narrower front radius riding in a longer contact flank, which Ortofon describes as a slim, highly polished profile allowing an exceedingly wide contact area to the groove walls. The practical consequence is high-frequency retrieval: Ortofon’s own brochure puts the Black’s −3dB point at 31kHz against the Bronze’s 29kHz.

Because the two share a body, the Stylus 2M Black is sold openly as a Bronze upgrade — a Bronze owner can buy the Black stylus and have, in every measurable respect, a 2M Black. That is Ortofon’s own marketing, not an inference.

One correction worth making, because a great deal of retail copy gets it wrong: the standard 2M Black has an aluminium cantilever. Boron belongs to the 2M Black LVB 250 and to nothing else in the 2M range. At 22 µm/mN this is a high-compliance cartridge and wants a light to medium mass arm.

Features

• Nude Shibata diamond, r/R 6/50 µm, on an aluminium cantilever
• Quad-coil generator with split pole pins and silver-plated OFC coil wire
• Same generator and body as the 2M Bronze — the difference is entirely the diamond
• Ortofon’s brochure puts the −3dB point at 31kHz
• 26dB channel separation, 1dB channel balance, +2/−0dB response
• Recommended tracking force of 1.5g
• The Stylus 2M Black is Ortofon’s endorsed upgrade for a 2M Bronze body
• Also available in 2MR form for Rega-style tonearms, premounted on an SH-4 headshell, and as a bottom-mount Verso

Specifications

• Type: Moving magnet stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 5mV at 1kHz, 5cm/sec
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: 1dB
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: 26dB
• Channel Separation at 15kHz: 15dB (Ortofon 2M brochure; this row has been dropped from the current product page)
• Frequency Range: 20Hz – 31,000Hz at −3dB (Ortofon 2M brochure; dropped from the current product page)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, +2 / −0dB
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 80 µm at recommended tracking force
• Compliance: 22 µm/mN, dynamic lateral. See note below
• Stylus Type: Nude Shibata
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 6/50 µm
• Cantilever: Aluminium. Ortofon publishes no boron or exotic-alloy cantilever for the standard 2M Black — boron is exclusive to the 2M Black LVB 250
• Tracking Force Range: 1.4 – 1.7g (14 – 17mN)
• Recommended Tracking Force: 1.5g (15mN)
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 1.2k Ω
• Internal Inductance: 630mH
• Recommended Load Resistance: 47k Ω
• Recommended Load Capacitance: 150 – 300pF
• Coil System: Quad coils with split pole pins and silver-plated OFC coil wire
• Cartridge Body: Polymer and aluminium
• Colour: Black / Black
• Cartridge Weight: 7.2g
• Replacement Stylus: Stylus 2M Black
• Stylus Interchange: Belongs to the Bronze / Black / Black LVB 250 group. A Stylus 2M Black LVB 250 fitted here is an Ortofon-endorsed upgrade. Red and Blue styli are a different group on a different engine and are not supported
• Mounting: Half inch (1/2″) mount. The 2M threaded mounting plate is 3mm thick, so no nuts are needed. Ortofon supplies a pair of M2.5 screws with a 5mm thread length, to be used with headshells up to 3.5mm thick. Ortofon warns against overtightening and against aluminium screws, which can seize in the threaded holes
• Stylus Life: Ortofon rates its styli at up to 1000 hours with proper care, and notes that DJ use — scratching and back-cueing — should be reckoned at about 500 hours at most. This is a general figure across the range rather than a per-model specification
• Cleaning: Ortofon specifically warns against propyl alcohol and other cleaning fluids, which can seriously damage the diamond cement and the suspension system
• Design: The 2M series was developed with the Danish industrial design house Møller Jensen Design. Ortofon does not publish the year the series launched
• Origin: Ortofon A/S of Nakskov, Denmark. Ortofon states that all its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark
• Warranty: Ortofon Inc. covers cartridges bought from an authorised US dealer for one year against defects in workmanship and materials, and excludes expendable items — which on any normal reading excludes the stylus. Note that Ortofon’s own webshop terms quote a two-year warranty instead; a US dealer purchase falls under the one-year terms
• Not Published: The measurement frequency for the compliance figure; vertical compliance; magnet and pole-piece materials; any break-in period; itemised box contents
• Note on Compliance: Ortofon’s web product pages and its 2M user guide PDF publish different compliance figures for the same cartridges. We quote the product page value; the user guide gives a figure 2 µm/mN lower. Ortofon also never states the frequency at which compliance is measured, which matters when comparing against makers who quote at 100Hz