Ortofon LH-2000 Standard Headshell

A Solid Aluminum Headshell With Azimuth Adjustment, Lead Wires Included

The Ortofon LH-2000 is a solid aluminum headshell for a standard SME-type bayonet mount, sold each. It comes with lead wires, has a finger lift, and allows azimuth — the side-to-side tilt of the cartridge — to be adjusted.

A headshell is a structural component, not a bracket. It holds the cartridge against the forces the groove exerts, and anything it flexes or rings at reaches the stylus by the shortest possible route.

Aluminum, With Azimuth Adjustment Built In

Fit and Materials

The body is solid aluminum with a plain finish, made for a wide range of cartridges including Ortofon's own 2M series. A finger lift is fitted, which is the difference between cueing by hand comfortably and doing it nervously.

Azimuth adjustment is the feature worth paying attention to. Many headshells fix the cartridge square and leave you no way to correct a tilt; this one lets you set it, which is what makes a crosstalk measurement actionable rather than merely interesting.

Lead wires are included and Ortofon color-codes them to its cartridge terminals: red and green for the right channel, white and blue for the left. It fits tonearms taking a standard detachable headshell.

Who Is the LH-2000 Best For?

• You want to set azimuth — many headshells give you no adjustment at all, and this one does
• You run an Ortofon 2M cartridge — Ortofon names the series specifically, though the shell suits many others
• You keep more than one cartridge — a second headshell means swapping in seconds instead of realigning each time
• Your current shell has no finger lift — cueing by hand without one is how styli get damaged
• Your tonearm has a fixed headshell — a one-piece arm takes no detachable shell; see tonearms for arms that do

How Do You Fit It?

Mount the cartridge to the headshell with the supplied screws, leaving them slightly loose. Connect the lead wires by color. Fit the headshell to the arm, then set overhang and offset with a protractor before tightening. Set azimuth last, and re-check tracking force once everything is snug.

Pairs Well With

What most owners fitting a tonearm part shop next.

• Cartridge alignment tools — anything that moves the cartridge means re-checking geometry
• Stylus force gauges — and re-setting tracking force afterwards
• Phono cartridges — the component all of this is in service of
• Test records — for hearing whether the change landed

Frequently Asked Questions

How many do I need?

One per cartridge you want mounted. A second headshell is the usual way to keep two cartridges ready without realigning each time.

Will it fit my tonearm?

It fits tonearms that take a standard detachable headshell; an arm with a fixed one-piece headshell cannot use it. Lead wires are supplied in the box, color-coded to match Ortofon's cartridge terminals.

What is azimuth, and why does adjustment matter?

Azimuth is the cartridge's side-to-side tilt. Off-square, one channel leaks into the other; a headshell that lets you adjust it is what turns a crosstalk measurement into a correction.

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