Stereophile Recommended Ortofon 2M Blue MM Phono Cartridge Plays with Tonal Truthfulness and Big Dynamics, Comes with Audio Additives Mounting Kit for Easy Install

Bundled with the Audio Additives cartridge mounting kit for easy installation, the Stereophile Recommended Ortofon 2M Blue is an upgrade from its sibling, 2M Red, and delivers a focused midrange, balanced presentation, taut low end, and engaging resolution. 2M Blue uses the same structures as Red but employs a highly polished nude-elliptical stylus for much better tracking and quieter reproduction, as it reaches deeper into the record’s grooves. Featuring an improved engine, which provides an increased output of 5.5 mV and an optimized sound reproduction, 2M Blue also has split pole pins with copper wire. The cartridge body is manufactured from Hopelex, an environment-friendly material that ensures high rigidity while eliminating unwanted resonances.

All 2M 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. 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.

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. 

Audio Additives Cartridge Mounting Kit
Get everything you need to mount almost any phono cartridge with the Audio Additives Cartridge Mounting Kit. Designed for ease of use and able to be re-used time and again, this handy kit contains all the tools and hardware required to mount most of the cartridge bodies on the market, including the Ortofon 2M Blue.

Audio Additives Cartridge Mounting Kit Includes:
2x M2.5X14 Stainless-Steel Hex Screws
2x M2.5X10 Stainless-Steel Hex Screws
2x M2.5X16 Stainless-Steel Hex Screws
2x M2.5X.45 Stainless-Steel Hex Nuts
2x M2.5 Small Washers
1x M2.0 Hex Key

—Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat