Recommended Component 2023 – Stereophile
EISA Award - Best Phono Cartridge 2021-2022
Special Commemorative Ludwig van Beethoven Model
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, Ortofon has released the 2M Black LVB 250 Exclusive Model. The 2M Black flagship from Ortofon is widely acknowledged as being one of the best MM cartridges on the market, but at Ortofon being the best doesn’t mean that it can’t get even better.
This special version of the 2M Black LVB 250 Exclusive Model uses a low-profile design for convenient use with Rega turntables.
"Recommended Component" Honors
Stereophile honored the Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 by awarding it the magazine's coveted Recommend Component status for 2023.
According to Stereophile, "Compared with the basic 2M Black, the LVB uses the low-mass boron cantilever/nude Shibata assembly found on Ortofon's Cadenza Black. The new rubber suspension compound is based on a multiwall carbon nanotube nano filler compound for which Ortofon claims 'desirable mechanical properties' as well as greater environmentally friendly production characteristics. Used with the SME Model 6, the 2M Black LVB 'sounded detailed, open, and extended on top,' wrote MF.
EISA Award Winner
The Ortofon won a Best Phono Cartridge 2021-2022 Award from Europe's Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). "It fits the bill with a silky, sophisticated presentation especially well-suited to classical, jazz and acoustic music. Refined and composed, it uses a version of the stylus and cantilever found in the company’s Cadenza Black moving-coil cartridge. This, along with a new suspension, all contributes to a sound that boasts rock-solid imaging, great stereo focus and depth along with a smooth, lush view of strings and other acoustic instruments."
"The Sound Was Rich and Full"
Analog guru Michael Fremer notes in his Analog Planet review for April 5, 2021,"For the obstinate who stick with and prefer moving magnet to moving coil cartridges, the 2M Black LVB 250 makes the case as well if not better than any currently available MM at least that I that I know of."
"The sound was rich and full, if not quite as scalpel-like in its precision," raves Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, July 6, 2021. "This is a silky, sophisticated cartridge which – to my ears – favours classical, much jazz and acoustic, rather than the sizzle-and-snap of pop or rock."
Benefits of High-End Materials
The 2M Black LVB 250 has been recreated from the concepts of its predecessor, the 2M Black. But the 2M Black LVB 250 performance takes one step further to enhance the cartridge’s capabilities and technical excellence.
The 2M Black LVB 250 uses a Nude Shibata diamond on a Boron cantilever, the combination known from the acclaimed MC Cadenza Black cartridge. The Nude Shibata stylus’s slim, highly polished profile allows an exceedingly wide contact area to the groove walls and ensures notably detailed reproduction throughout the spectrum, including the highest frequencies.
The use of an extremely stiff and lightweight Boron cantilever adds remarkable transparency, speed and responsiveness.
The New Rubber Compound Formula
To attain an optimal interaction between compliance and damping, a new rubber compound for the suspension system has been developed.
The new rubber compound formula is based on the Multi Wall Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNT) highly efficient nano filler. The new MWCNT-based compound offers desirable mechanical properties, which ensure better damping and improve the overall performance of the cartridge.
Also, the new MWCNT rubber compound allows for more environmental-friendly production, adding further benefit. The MWCNT powder is applied in a rubber polymer matrix and not in a powdered form, which makes the production process more clean, non-polluting and energy saving.
