Ortofon 2M Red
Unbeatable in the sub $200 category
The Ortofon 2M Red is certainly a very entertaining cartridge, providing a big, solid, spacious sound with good detail and excellent dynamics. The delivery is crisp and punchy across the entire frequency range, with a particularly nicely textured bass, and can be very impressive on well-recorded material.
Features
- A tipped elliptical diamond
- An improved engine, with split pole pins and copper wire, for higher output and dynamics
- A body made of resonance reducing Hopelex
"...The 2M line has become a de-facto reference for moving-magnet cartridges...it is due to both the sound quality of the various 2M models"
Reviews
Ortofon 2M Red gets Stereophile Recommended Products Award
"The least expensive of Ortofon's 2M moving magnet cartridges (the series name is shorthand for MM), the Red offers a 5.5mV output, a replaceable elliptical stylus, highish compliance, a recommended tracking force of 1.8gm, and a square-front body with threaded mounting holes, for ease of installation. SM declared the 2M Red's dynamic range "vastly wider" than that of the less expensive Ortofon OM 5E, and praised the new cartridge's clean, fast, grainless sound. SM's verdict: "If you're looking for a high-value cartridge...the 2M Red is an excellent place to start."
Specifications
Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. - 5.5 mV
Channel separation at 1 kHz - 22 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz - 15 dB
Frequency range at - 3dB - 20-22.000 Hz
Frequency response - 20-20.000 Hz + 3 / - 1 dB
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 20 µm/mN
Stylus type - Elliptical
Tracking force range - 1.6-2.0 g (16-20 mN)
Tracking force, recommended - 1.8 g (18 mN)
Internal impedance, DC resistance - 1.3 kOhm
Internal inductance - 700 mH
Recommended load resistance - 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance - 150-300 pF
Replacement stylus unit - 2M Red (interchangeable with 2M Blue and 2M silver)
