Ortofon 2MR cartridges
Ortofon A/S have announced the imminent availability of a new addition to its 2M Series of moving magnet cartridges. The 2MR range takes the existing 2M cartridge offering and re-shapes it into a new “Reduced” housing that makes it compatible with a wider range of tonearms.
Ortofon 2MR features a specially designed cartridge housing tailored for turntables and tonearms that have a requirement for low form factor cartridges. With its narrow cartridge housing, it seamlessly integrates without a need for modifications to, or spacers under, the tonearm, enabling quick and easy mounting with just two screws.
2MR benefits from all the existing 2M Series’ commitments to authentic sound reproduction. A high- performance motor system featuring quad coils and split pole pin technology minimises eddy current losses, enhancing channel balance and accuracy. This innovation results in a clean, detailed, and true- to-life sound, faithfully capturing the nuances of your cherished vinyl collection.
Available during November 2023, the 2MR range is a great solution for vinyl lovers looking to upgrade their turntable sound.
2MR features
Reduced height cartridge body for wider tonearm compatibility
High-performance motor system, as found in the popular 2M cartridge range 100% compatibility with existing 2M styli
Standard half-inch cartridge mounting
Availability of models to match the current 2M cartridge range
2MR the technical argument
The 2M range of moving magnet cartridges has established itself over many years as one of the foremost solutions for high-quality vinyl playback at a competitive price. Spanning many awards and critical reviews, plus countless endorsements from fans around the world – across the whole 2M range there is a solution to suit any type of listener.
2M Reduced, or 2MR, aims to expand this offering further by taking the same 2M design and technology, but delivering it in a cartridge with reduced height to suit a variety of other tonearms or use cases.
VTA – Why does it matter?
The Vertical Tracking Angle is the angle between the pivot-point of a cartridge’s cantilever and where the diamond touches the record groove. Ortofon cartridges are constructed so that the cantilever angle corresponds to the 20° record cutting angle, when the cartridge is loaded with recommended tracking force and the cartridge base is parallel with the tonearm, which is in turn parallel to the record surface. As a result of this design, if your cartridge is ever mounted on a tonearm where it must lean even slightly backward compared to the record surface, the VTA will not be correct, and you will lose important musical details.
The 2MR Solution
The existing 2M range is well suited to many tonearms in the modern market and is perfectly at home on tonearms with adjustable VTA. However, there are many tonearms from popular turntable makers, such as Linn, Rega, Pro-Ject and others, where the VTA is not adjustable and the regular 2M cartridge height is too high. Similarly, there are instances where you may wish to modify your turntable with a thicker mat or platter upgrade, and you need to compensate with reduced cartridge height. Enter 2MR.
2MR reduces the overall cartridge body height to 14mm, saving you 3mm over the standard version. This reduction makes a world of difference to the achievable sound quality of your turntable where VTA is an issue with a standard 2M cartridge. It’s also effortlessly easier to accommodate than many tonearm modifications or upgrades you may otherwise need to make.
As this different sized cartridge option is helpful in many use cases, each model of the 2M range is available as a 2MR variant, including the 2M Black LVB250, the 2M Mono and the 2M 78. For convenience, the 2MR styli are the same as the regular 2M range styli and can be upgraded as with the regular range.
The 2MR range of cartridges will begin shipping during November 2023.