Ortofon 2M Black MM Phono Cartridge

A Shibata Diamond on a Moving Magnet Cartridge

The Shibata profile was cut for quadraphonic records, which held detail far above what ordinary styli could read. It lasted because it read everything else better too. Ortofon puts one on the 2M Black.

This is the top of the standard 2M range, the last rung before the cantilever changes. It is aimed at one thing: getting more of the groove off the record and into your phono stage.

Why the Tip Geometry Does the Work

The diamond measures 6 by 50 microns. The front radius is the narrowest in the range and the side radius the longest. The tip sits deep in the groove and touches a long stretch of wall.

Where the Engineering Shows Up in the Sound

That long contact patch reduces distortion on inner tracks, where the groove is tightest and a broader tip struggles. Channel separation holds 26 dB at 1 kHz. Balance stays inside 1 dB.

Frequency response runs 20 Hz to 20 kHz within plus 2 and minus 0 dB. Output is 5 mV into 47 kilohms, and the quad coils wind copper around split pole pins as they do across the series.

Numbers You Will Use at Setup

Track it at 1.5 grams, usable from 1.4 to 1.7. Compliance is 22 micrometers per millinewton. The body weighs 7.2 grams, which is substantial, so check the balance range of your arm before you commit.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Neil Gader gave it a Product of the Year award in The Absolute Sound, writing that "the 2M Black has a light, fast touch with good treble extension" and a transparency he called its greatest attribute.

What Hi-Fi? awarded four stars, calling it "a very transparent and detailed stylus, the Ortofon handles subtlety well, with vocals especially possessing supreme inflection and insight."

Stereophile lists the 2M Black as a Recommended Component, summing it up in two words: "Ridiculously good." TONEAudio has also called it a fantastic-sounding cartridge.

Who Is This Phono Cartridge Best For?

• You listen to whole album sides — the Shibata profile holds up in the tight inner grooves where distortion creeps in, so the last track sounds like the first
• You want flagship tip geometry on a moving magnet — a Shibata diamond normally sits on far dearer cartridges, and here the output suits any phono stage
• Your records are worth protecting — a long contact edge spreads tracking force across more groove wall, so nothing bears down on one point
• You are upgrading within the 2M family — this stylus fits the body you own, so you change a diamond rather than a cartridge and keep your alignment
• Your tonearm takes a Rega three-point fitting — this is the standard half-inch version and will not bolt to a Rega arm. Ortofon builds the same cartridge as the 2MR Black, and we stock it

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Two screws hold the cartridge to a half-inch headshell and four colored pins take the arm leads. At 7.2 grams it is heavy, paired with a light 1.5 gram tracking force, so What Hi-Fi? advises care over system matching.

Set overhang with your alignment gauge, then set tracking force and anti-skate. From there the arm cable runs to any moving magnet phono input.

Pairs Well With

A cartridge is one part of the chain. These are the categories that make the most of it:

• Turntables — any deck with a standard half-inch mount
• Phono Preamplifiers — a quiet stage suits this tip
• Record Cleaning Accessories — it reaches dirt broader styli miss
• Turntable Accessories — scales and gauges for tracking force

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Shibata stylus?

It is a diamond profile developed for quadraphonic records, with a very narrow front radius and a long side radius. Here it measures 6 by 50 microns.

What tracking force should I use?

Ortofon recommends 1.5 grams, with 1.4 to 1.7 grams in specification. Set it with a stylus scale rather than by the numbers printed on a counterweight.

Will the 2M Black fit my turntable?

It fits any standard half-inch tonearm or headshell. Rega three-point arms take the 2MR Black, which is the same cartridge in a low-profile body.

Do I need a moving coil phono stage?

Use the moving magnet input. At 5 mV this is a strong moving magnet output, far above what a moving coil stage is built to accept.

Does the 2M Black need a special tonearm?

Most arms handle it. At 7.2 grams it is on the heavy side, so confirm your counterweight reaches 1.5 grams with the cartridge fitted before ordering.

What loading does it want?

47 kilohms with 150 to 300 picofarads of capacitance, the standard moving magnet values. That capacitance total includes your tonearm cable.

See It in Action

Analogholic revisits the 2M Black and where it stands today:

Sador42Vinyl unboxes one and fits it to a turntable:

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