Ortofon 2M Bronze MM Phono Cartridge

The Rung Where Ortofon Changes the Shape of the Diamond

Up to this point the 2M range refines an elliptical tip. The Bronze changes the geometry outright. Its nude Fine Line diamond is ground to a long, narrow contact edge that sits deeper in the groove and reads a longer stretch of it at once.

That single change is why this cartridge asks for a lighter touch than the models below it. Track it at 1.5 grams, not 1.8. The tip carries less mass and needs less force to stay planted.

What Fine Line Means in the Groove

The tip measures 8 by 40 microns. The narrow front radius traces fine high-frequency detail, while the long side radius spreads contact over more groove wall. Less pressure lands on any one spot, which is easier on your records.

Where the Engineering Shows Up in the Sound

Channel separation reaches 26 dB at 1 kHz and channel balance tightens to 1 dB. Frequency response runs 20 Hz to 20 kHz within plus 2 and minus 0 dB, which is the flattest window in the aluminum-cantilever part of the range.

Output is 5 mV, still comfortably strong for any moving magnet input. Internal impedance drops to 1.2 kilohms with 630 millihenries of inductance, and the quad coils run copper around split pole pins.

Numbers You Will Use at Setup

Tracking force is 1.5 grams, usable from 1.4 to 1.7. Compliance rises to 22 micrometers per millinewton, which favors a lighter arm. Load it at 47 kilohms with 150 to 300 picofarads, and the body weighs 7.2 grams.

What Reviewers Are Saying

What Hi-Fi? gave the 2M Bronze four stars, finding that "tonally it's highly neutral, with treble, midrange and bass being neatly balanced. The treble is especially crisp, and you get a very detailed sound as a result."

Hi-Fi World reached the same conclusion more briefly, calling the 2M Bronze "highly detailed and insightful" — a cartridge that surfaces small musical details while staying easy to listen to.

Who Is This Phono Cartridge Best For?

• You want detail without moving to a coil cartridge — a Fine Line diamond reaches groove information elliptical tips leave behind, with none of the low-output matching a moving coil design demands
• Your records matter to you — the long contact edge spreads pressure across more groove wall, so a given tracking force bears less heavily on any single point
• You own a light or medium-mass tonearm — 22 micrometers per millinewton of compliance suits exactly that, and the lower 1.5 gram tracking force works with it rather than against it
• You are already inside the 2M family — this stylus fits the same body, so you can arrive here by changing a diamond and keep the alignment you set months ago
• Your tonearm takes a Rega three-point fitting or a bottom-mount headshell — this is the standard half-inch version and will not bolt to those arms. Ortofon builds the same cartridge as the 2MR Bronze for Rega arms and the 2M Bronze Verso for bottom-mount headshells, and we stock both

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Two screws hold the cartridge to a half-inch headshell or tonearm and four colored pins take the arm leads. What Hi-Fi? noted that the angular contours of the body make those screws slightly fiddlier to reach than usual, so allow a few extra minutes.

Set overhang with your alignment gauge, then set tracking force to 1.5 grams and match anti-skate. The arm cable runs to any moving magnet phono input from there.

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 — for amplifiers without a phono input
• Record Cleaning Accessories — a Fine Line tip reaches dirt other styli ride over
• Turntable Accessories — scales and gauges for tracking force

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Fine Line stylus?

It is a diamond ground to a narrow front radius and a long side radius, 8 by 40 microns here. The narrow edge reads fine detail while the long edge spreads contact along the groove wall.

What tracking force should I use?

Ortofon recommends 1.5 grams, with 1.4 to 1.7 grams in specification. That is lighter than the models below it in the range, so reset your scale rather than assuming.

Will the 2M Bronze fit my turntable?

It fits any standard half-inch tonearm or headshell. Rega three-point arms and bottom-mount headshells take a different version of this same cartridge.

Do I need a moving coil phono stage?

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

Can I fit this stylus to a 2M body I already own?

Yes. The 2M bodies are shared across the range, so the Bronze stylus pushes onto one you already have. Remember to reset tracking force to 1.5 grams afterwards.

What loading does it want?

47 kilohms, the standard moving magnet value, with 150 to 300 picofarads of capacitance. That total includes your tonearm cable, which is easy to overlook.

See It in Action

Ortofon's own tutorial walks through changing a stylus within the 2M series:

The Vinyl Guide Podcast covers moving up to the 2M Bronze:

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Learn More

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