The Ortofon 2M Blue is a high-quality turntable cartridge system with a clean, balanced, and unobtrusive sound. The nude diamond, with its fine elliptical cut, ensures very detailed tracking of the record's groove, which gives this pickup an unusually wide frequency response from 20 Hz to 25 kHz. Thanks to Ortofon's moving magnet technology, it's highly compatible with a wide range of audio systems and phono preamplifiers. According to the manufacturer, with careful maintenance, 1,000 hours of playback without any loss of sound quality should be no problem. A cleaning brush, along with the headshell screws and screwdriver necessary for installation, are included in the package.
With the 2M Blue, Ortofon has managed to strike a really successful balance between volume and dynamics. Even the most experienced listeners will be impressed by its immensely detailed reproduction of every aspect of a recording, especially the precise spatial imaging. Vocals, in particular, benefit hugely from the vibrant clarity that the nude elliptical diamond coaxes from the vinyl. And because the 2M Blue establishes such a reliable, refined initial contact with the record, all the other components in a hi-fi signal chain will be able to play to their strengths. Overall, its nicely balanced playback qualities means the 2M Blue is a perfect nude diamond stylus for making listening to music a genuine pleasure again.
Of course, an audiophile aficionado is probably going to have their hi-fi setup in their living room: However, the 2M Blue can also do great things in the studio, especially when it comes to transferring sounds from vinyl into the digital domain, where no cartridge can ever be good enough to fully capture every nuance of the music. Mounted on a headshell, the 2M Blue can be attached in seconds to any turntable with a bayonet mount, such as a Technics SL-1200, and used for digitising or playing reference recordings. However, it's not really suitable for live DJing and the like, as far more robust systems exist than the rather delicate 2M Blue.
The Danish company Ortofon has been synonymous with high-quality phono technology for more than a century. Founded in 1918 by engineers Axel Petersen and Arnold Poulsen, Ortofon developed its first magnetic pickup system, the M-15, in 1969. The company’s futuristic-looking Concorde pickup series was launched in 1982, and its stylish, streamlined design established itself on the DJ scene as the new standard for use in clubs and discotheques. Ortofon also produces high-quality moving magnet and moving coil systems for every application and price point, from quality-conscious beginners through to uncompromising high-end hi-fi aficionados.
The Ortofon 2M Blue will be of particular interest for owners of record players already fitted with a 2M Red, as the coils and magnet configurations of these two cartridges are identical: As such, the styli can be swapped without further ado. The 2M Red, with its bonded diamond, is a reliable, precise, and affordable cartridge that comes as standard with many manufacturer's turntables. However, for those who want to get more out of their music, the 2M Blue, with its nude diamond, offers a straightforward and significant upgrade to any setup's sound – precisely because the needle is the point of first contact between the sound medium and the playback system occurs.
If a phono cartridge is advertised as having a nude diamond, this means the stylus is made from a single diamond that's attached directly to the cantilever. A nude diamond cartridge has a lower mass than a bonded diamond system, where only the tip of the stylus is made of diamond, and the rest of the needle is metal. The lighter weight of a nude diamond means a more dynamic and vibrant sound, because the needle can track the record's groove more precisely; less weight also means reduced wear, both for the components and the vinyl.