Ortofon 2M Black Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge

History of the 2M Series

The 2M Series was developed in conjunction with the Danish designer Moeller Jensen Design. 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.

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 name “2M” was chosen as it represents the abbreviation for moving magnet, MM.

The four-model 2M line was originally introduced in 2008, and since then the range has been extended to include True-mono models 2M MONO and 78. Also available are models with expanded mounting options, such as Verso for bottom mount headshells and PnP for direct mounting on arms with universal mount.

Advancements in Sound

The differences among the 2M variants concern three primary areas: engine, body material and stylus profile.

The entire 2M Series features Ortofon’s split pole pins, an invention which 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 and Ortofon OM Super Series.

The 2M 78, 2M Mono, 2M Red and 2M Blue use an improved engine, which provides an optimized sound reproduction and a high level of sonic accuracy.

The 2M Bronze and 2M Black use a special upgraded engine, featuring split pole pins with a silver-plated copper wire. The cartridge body material used for the 2M Bronze and 2M Black is manufactured from Lexan DMX Piano Black, a revolutionary material which ensures high rigidity while eliminating unwanted resonances.

Product of Denmark

Today Ortofon is a micro-mechanical powerhouse, which develops, manufactures and markets the world acclaimed Ortofon cartridges and components for the hearing aids industry.

We benefit from being established in Denmark, a country recognized for its strong tradition in acoustics and its wealth of other high-end manufacturers, who make hearing aids and acoustic measurement equipment, in addition to all aspects of high-end audio.

Ortofon is owned by Danish businessmen and employs a staff of 100 people. The Ortofon manufacturing unit in Nakskov in the south of Denmark has modern machinery combined with experienced operators, so human craftsmanship is delivered with uniform industrial quality.

Care of Stylus

With proper care we find that up to 1,000 hours is possible without degradation of performance. The stylus does begin to exhibit changes after 1,000 hours, but the stylus life as a whole is expected to top 2,000 hours.

Proper care is comprised of the following:

• Cleaning of record by means of fibre brush before and after every use. Cleaning of record by using record cleaning machine once in a while.

• Cleaning of stylus by means of a fine antistatic brush. Please remember to remove dust from the diamond tip before and after playback of each record. Use the brush in the forward direction from the rear of the cartridge towards the stylus tip, never from stylus tip to the rear of the cartridge and never from side to side.

• Proper adjustment of alignment, antiskating, azimuth and tracking force.

• Ortofon do not recommend the use of solvents of any kind for cleaning of either record surface or stylus.

Ease of Use

The weight and dimensions of the 2M Series have been optimized to fit the most common turntables on the market today. The cartridge body has also been streamlined to provide easy mounting and alignment. The 2M series features threaded holes that allows for easy mounting on tonearm and headshells without nuts. 2M cartridges provide excellent compatibility in an assortment of playback systems and with a wide variety of phono preamps.

Each pin on the cartridge is color coded for easier installment of the lead wires to the headshell.

In the beginning was the sound track

On the 9th of October 1918, the two Danish engineers, Axel Petersen (1887-1971) and Arnold Poulsen (1889-1952) founded the Electrical Phono Film Company with a few capable and foresighted businessmen who would support the organization financially.

Their aim was to explore the possibility of high-class recording and developing one of the first synchronized sound film systems in the world. Under primitive conditions, the two Danish engineers and their small staff had to solve a number of what were considered insuperable problems.