ORTOFON 2M Mono Moving Magnet Cartridge
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 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.
- an improved engine, which provides a high level of sonic accuracy - R 18µm Nude Spherical stylus that is an optimal solution for playing mono microgroove LP vinyl records - 2M Mono uses a strapped output to deliver the same output signal from both sets of pole pins. This effectively eliminates the need for mono-specific equipment, making it possible to enjoy true mono reproduction on any stereo playback system. |
Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. - 4 mV Tracking angle - 20° |
Positive Feedback May-June 2015
Reviewed by Tom Gibbs
"...the 2M Mono is a truly exceptional transducer. The sound from this true-mono cartridge just blows away the sound you get from a mono-via-stereo cartridge setup. Because the mono cartridge only deals with the groove signal in a single plane, the resultant sound is impressively quiet compared to the modulation of surface noise and groove geometry shortcomings you often must deal with in playback of mono sources from a stereo cartridge. The end result is that you can really hear very deeply into the music; the 2M Mono sounded magnificent right out of the box, and has only gotten better as it's broken in.
...I would say that the 2M Mono has an up-front, somewhat forward quality in it's presentation of the music; the images are sharply detailed, but never etched—and the music is never fatiguing to listen to. This cartridge comes with my highest recommendation...
...with the very reasonable, real-world asking price and remarkable performance of the baseline model, I don't see how it could get much better than this!"
Hi-Fi World August 2013
Reviewed by Tony Bolton
OUTSTANDING - simply the best!
"...I found this cartridge to be a very well thought out design, that complements the sonic presentation of the conventional 2M Series with an ability to play older, and sometimes more worn records, in an exemplary manner..."
- Last, quite punchy sound
- Very low surface noise
- Good detail retrieval
... The nude, spherical, 18 micrometer radius stylus is claimed by the manufacturers to be the optimum size for tracking the wider grooves of mono era records. It rides correctly in the groove, avoiding dirt at the bottom, unlike a smal/er microgroove stylus that rides too low..."
Reviewed by Tom Gibbs
"...the 2M Mono is a truly exceptional transducer. The sound from this true-mono cartridge just blows away the sound you get from a mono-via-stereo cartridge setup. Because the mono cartridge only deals with the groove signal in a single plane, the resultant sound is impressively quiet compared to the modulation of surface noise and groove geometry shortcomings you often must deal with in playback of mono sources from a stereo cartridge. The end result is that you can really hear very deeply into the music; the 2M Mono sounded magnificent right out of the box, and has only gotten better as it's broken in.
...I would say that the 2M Mono has an up-front, somewhat forward quality in it's presentation of the music; the images are sharply detailed, but never etched—and the music is never fatiguing to listen to. This cartridge comes with my highest recommendation...
...with the very reasonable, real-world asking price and remarkable performance of the baseline model, I don't see how it could get much better than this!"
Reviewed by Tony Bolton
"...I found this cartridge to be a very well thought out design, that complements the sonic presentation of the conventional 2M Series with an ability to play older, and sometimes more worn records, in an exemplary manner..."
- Last, quite punchy sound
- Very low surface noise
- Good detail retrieval
... The nude, spherical, 18 micrometer radius stylus is claimed by the manufacturers to be the optimum size for tracking the wider grooves of mono era records. It rides correctly in the groove, avoiding dirt at the bottom, unlike a smal/er microgroove stylus that rides too low..."