in this video i'm going to talk about the ortofon
2m moving magnet cartridges i'll go over some of the technology they share
i'll also point out the differences as you move up in the line
if you want to read our full review on the 2m series be sure to click the link
in the description that will take you to the full written review
on audioadvice.com along with this review you'll find hundreds of other
reviews comparisons buyers guides and much more
now let's get started
ortofon invented the moving coil cartridge in 1946 and to this day
still make all of their cartridges at their factory in denmark
this is a testament to their hundred year plus history of moving the bar
forward for great sound another mark of success
is the large number of turntable brands that choose ortofon cartridges for
their turntables the 2m series are modestly priced have
plenty of output from most systems and offer a heck of a lot of value for the
money first we thought it might be interesting
to clue you in on how the name of this series came about
take a look at this phrase moving magnet do you see the two letter
m's yes the 2m series are all moving magnet phono cartridges
designed to work with just about any phono preamp
let's get into some of the technology they share back in the heyday of cds
ortofon was developing a new technology to allow moving magnet
cartridges to have a flatter response at the top
end of their range if you were to chop apart a typical
moving magnet cartridge on the end of the system that generates energy
you'd find what are called pole pieces which then get wired to the connections
on the back of the cartridge historically these were tiny hollow
cylinders ortofon found if you put a tiny slit
down the length of the cylinder it would reduce eddy current losses
caused by magnetic hysteresis this is called split pole pins that's a
lot of tech talk but the end result is a more flat frequency response with
greater extension and more accurate phase between the two
channels all of the 2m models share this tech almost all 2m models are made from
the same pretty neat polycarbonate material
called hopelex this is an environmentally friendly
material with very high rigidity that is almost resonant free using
hopelex means no external resonances will
make their way into the sound the cartridge is pulling out of the record
grooves ortofon designed the output of the 2m
series models and the size and weight to be compatible
with as many different turntables and amplifiers on the market as possible
this along with a great sound value for the money is another reason you'll see
2m models on many different turntables on the market
when your stylus wears out you'll not have to take the cartridge off
as all of the 2m models have a user-replaceable stylus
this leads into another great feature the 2m models have
the red and the blue have identical generators
and the next two models up the black and the bronze have the same generators
the big difference between them is the stylus assembly
you can easily upgrade your sound when it's time to buy a replacement stylus
if you have a red by going to a blue stylus or if you have a bronze by going
to a black stylus this is pretty cool especially for all
of those reds that came with pretty decent turntables like the debut carbon
dc we should point out that you cannot jump
from a red to a bronze or a black as the internal workings are
different or if you're into mono and 78s those two cartridges also have
interchangeable stylus assemblies pretty neat while most people will use
the standard 2m type ortofon does offer two other
versions of these great cartridges just from a mounting standpoint
there are some vintage turntables out there that require the cartridge to
mount from the bottom side of the tonearm this is
called the 2m verso if you have a turntable with a bayonet
type mount where the entire head shell comes off
you can get any of the 2m bottles pre-mounted to a specially designed
ortofon head shell which uses a very non-resonant compound ortofon developed
for the medical industry this is called the plug and play mark
ii model now let's get into each model the 2m red is the first model in the 2m
series and is considered by many to be one of the best values in hifi
this cartridge is warm rich and forgiving yet it has the ability to
extract a lot of information from the record grooves with pretty good dynamics
these characteristics are the main reasons you'll see it as a de facto
choice on a lot of turntables in the $300 to $600
price range if you have a turntable in the sub five to six hundred dollar range
that came with what you feel was a more entry-level cartridge
the 2m will be a great upgrade over most of the giveaway cartridges you see on
some entry-level turntables feel free to reach out to our experts to
see if the 2-win would be a good fit for your turntable
usually if your turntable has an adjustable counterweight
it's a pretty easy upgrade as the size and shape of
all of the 2ms are very universal many of you watching this may have a 2m red
that came on your turntable and wonder about the 2m blue
the next model up when you move up to the 2m blue it's all about the diamond
if you were to look at a phono cartridge up close you'll see the round piece
coming out of the cartridge body this is called the cantilever the
diamond stylus which then traces the grooves of your record gets
mounted to the cantilever with the 2m red the diamond is mounted
to a small metal shank which is then mounted to the cantilever
starting with the 2 in blue and up the diamond is mounted directly onto the
cantilever which is called nude mounting this mounting method
reduces tip mass which means the stylus can respond faster to those tiny changes in
the record grooves you'll hear many more tiny little
details in the music and it will seem more effortless and open
you'll also hear more resolution so those harmony parts will be better
separated and your music will take on more life as
the 2nd blue definitely steps up the dynamics over the 2m red
our advice is if you have a table with a 2m red buy the 2m blue stylus either
now or when it's time to replace it you'll be very surprised at the
difference just a nude elliptical stylus can make
when you move up to the 2nd bronze you'll be taking things to a new level
first the internal engine is upgraded over the one used in the 2m red and blue
the internal wiring also goes from copper to silver plated copper
the stylus used on the 2m bronze is a nude fine line elliptical type
it has a slim profile that allows it to get deeper into the record groove
and as you might imagine when you reach further down into those grooves
you'll pull out guess what more music if your records are clean
we hear less surface noise with the 2m bronze as well
the benefit you hear is a much more open sound with a greater level of resolution
over the 2m blue many times when you think about
components that have more resolution you may think
well they may sound a little bright or shrill this is not the case with the 2m
bronze which is a very well balanced sound
the 2m black has the same engine body and wiring as the 2m bronze
but with a highly polished shabbata diamond this type of stylus pulls out
even more information from the grooves as a matter of fact it's the exact same
stylus they use on their high-end cadenza series of moving coil cartridges
when you compare the black and the bronze you immediately notice the black
just sounds a lot faster and more open dynamics jump out at you like we would
not believe on a great recording you'll think your turntable just got a shot of
espresso the music just comes to life just like
with the 2m bronze if your records are clean
you'll have even less surface noise now there is just one
caveat the 2m black is very revealing of what is in the grooves
it hides nothing it also needs to be set up very well from an azimuth standpoint
to get the best performance out of it if you want to stay with a moving magnet
and extract every ounce of music you can from the grooves
the 2m black is a wonderful choice however
if you're a more casual listener who just loves great involving sound
the 2m bronze might be a better match for your taste especially if your tone
arm is not very adjustable the people who make ortofon
cartridges do not want to leave any type of vinyl lover behind so they
even make some special application models for 78s
and vintage or new release mono records the 2m mono uses a nude mounted
spherical stylus in what is pretty similar to the body of the red blue
series with a mono engine it is a really good
choice for listeners who want to hear their mono records the way they were
intended to be heard in 2014 the beatles re-released their mono
collection and at the same time ortofon introduced the
2m mono se as a tribute to this collection the 2m
mono se is basically a 2m black in a white lexan
body and a mono engine it has a special nude mounted shabbata
stylus that will guarantee you'll hear every tiny detail present in the
re-release if you collect those shellac 78s
ortofon has a great cartridge for you with the 2m 78
it uses a spherical diamond this type of stylus is ideal for 78 rpm shellac
records which require a larger stylus profile
you can even interchange the stylus on the regular 2m mono and the 2m 78
you can tell ortofon is going to make a cartridge for every type of
application and this video only covered the moving
magnets they make a huge variety of moving coils
for those of you who want even higher performance every time you
move up you'll hear more music from your record
grooves but it is a matter of getting the cartridge
that is best matched for your turntable and system
we are here to help you on your vinyl journey with both advice
and setup help we hope our video has helped you understand the differences in
the 2m models and that you've learned something about
this great danish company who is now pushing towards their 110th
anniversary if you have any questions on any of the
2m cartridges or any other home audio or home theater gear
be sure to give us a call chat with one of our experts at audioadvice.com
or stop into one of our raleigh or charlotte north carolina showrooms
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you