Ortofon 2M Red - A Music Direct Best-Selling MM Cartridge Design

The Absolute Sound  Product of the Year Award Winner! 

The Ortofon 2M Red is an evolution and an update of Ortofon's best-selling OM Series of Moving Magnet cartridges. The 2M body, generator and stylus profile have all been greatly improved and this great budget cartridge integrates 21st century technology in an affordable package. This is a Music Direct Best-Buy!

“The 2M Red is the entry level and 2M Black is the flagship. Their performance is a fitting tribute to Ortofon and chief engineer Per Windfield!”
- Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, Product of Year Award Issue, January 2009

The 2M series of cartridges feature Ortofon’s trademark split pole pins, an invention which enables moving magnet cartridges to have flat frequency response, just like a moving coil cartridge.  Ortofon invented the Split pole pin technology and were originally offered in the 500 series and Super OM series.  The 2M Red uses an improved engine, which provides an increased output of 5.5mV.  The 2M Red features a tipped elliptical diamond.  

The 2M series was developed in conjunction with Danish designer Møller Jensen Design – the same designer who designed the award winning MC Jubilee and very successful Kontrapunkt series.  Inspired by the facets of a diamond, whose contours gracefully trace the grooves on a record’s surface, the 2M’s handsome elegance establishes a great combination of form and functionality.

The 2M series is designed for precise and accurate retrieval of the information in the record groove. Ortofon's philosophy is to make cartridges which reproduce the record grooves as accurately as possible, without coloring the sound. The 2M series design has been optimized for ease of mounting and their weight and size fit virtually any current turntable. 

The name 2M was selected among several ideas. Ortofon wanted a modern name which would be both easy to pronounce and to remember, therefore an alpha numerical name was chosen. Mathematically 2M can be also represented as MM, which also happens to be the abbreviation for moving magnet.

Of course the 2M isn’t just another pretty face. Engineered to the highest standards the 2M series follows Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration.

Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. 5.5 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz 1.5 dB
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
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force 70 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral 20 µm/mN
Stylus type Elliptical
Stylus tip radius r/R 8/18 µm
Tracking force range 1.6-2.0g (16-20 mN)
Tracking force, recommended 1.8 g (18 mN)
Tracking angle 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance 1.3 kOhm
Internal inductance 700 mH
Recommended load resistance 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance 150-300 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus Black/Red
Cartridge weight 7.2 g
Replacement stylus unit 2M Red

What HiFi Review

Tech Radar Review

Ortofon 2M Series Brochure (PDF, 311 KB)

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