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Availability:
Only 5 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Thursday, Nov 12
At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Color
- 2M Red
- Dimensions
- 1.1 x 0.75 x 0.71 in
- Weight
- 0.254 oz
- Material
- Diamond
- Body Material
- Hopelex
- Connector Type
- PIN
Features 5
- Universal fit for most turntables
- Upgrade from stock cartridges
- The Ortofon 2M Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth
- The Ortofon 2M Red features an Elliptical diamond
- Can be upgraded with an Ortofon Stylus 2M Blue
Description
With the 2M Red you will hear the music come to life on its own terms. It is like taking a step into the music itself. This is our entry-level cartridge in the series, but what an entry. With the 2M Red, you will hear the music come to life on its own terms. It is like taking a step into the music itself. This is our entry-level cartridge in the series, but what an entry. The 2M Red delivers an open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth. The 2M Series are available in four different product variant configurations: the 2M for most common turntables on the market; the 2M Premounted, for customers who wish direct and easy mounting and replacement on their S-shaped tonearm; the 2M Verso, for bottom mount headshells; and the 2MR, which is designed cartridge housing tailored for turntables and tonearms like Rega, matching their requirement for low-form factor cartridges. The 2M Red features Ortofon’s very own invention: the split pole pins with a copper wire that gives you a sound reproduction so precise only your heart dares skip a beat. The engine provides an increased output of 5.5 mV, an optimized sound reproduction, and a high level of sonic accuracy. With the 2M Red, you will hear the music come to life on its own terms. It is like taking a step into the music itself. This is our entry-level cartridge in the series, but what an entry.
Specs 7
| Item Weight | 0.254 ounces |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 1.1 x 0.75 x 0.71 inches |
| Item model number | 2M Red |
| Body Material | Hopelex |
| Color Name | 2M Red |
| Connector Type | PIN |
| Material Type | Diamond |
No specs match.
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Thursday, Nov 12
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
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Top Amazon Reviews
The $99 red reference!
Color: 2M Red
I guess it was about a decade and a 1/2 ago when I wrote a professional review on the OM5E phono cartridperiod. At that time I raved about the cartridge and stated that it and the M97XEwould be responsible for bringing vinyl back. One of my readers responded to the review by stating well. What about the 2M red??I simply shrugged it off and thought to myself. That it could not be possibly that much better. Now. I am prepared to eat those words sir. The 2M ready arrived in a very presentation presentation that was well Boxed. The kid included 2 pairs of different length screws and I Opted for the shorpercent as per the menufacturer. Mounting the cartridge to the head show was a breeze As there were no tiny nuts to fiddle with and possibly los. Is using The techniques overhang gauge and then my 2 point pro tractor I was able to perfect alignment and asthma of the component. I then proceeded to give it 25 hours a break in you can. Using various various recordings in my repertoire from classical to jazz. To rock. I was immediately stunned by the overall wide range clarity richinese and dynamics of what I was listening along with a sound sthat was no less stunning. And in fact was exexclamation point. I thought to myself I'd have to really spend upward of the $200 clear audno concept. MMI had on hand and was willing to trade up. For the newest model add an exchange the old one but but that is going to have to wait another 10 years or so lol OL. This 2M red as a frequency response launch and stereo separation that seems way better than the specs would indicate. .. I must also mention here Vanguard prefer higher output cartridges 2. They're lower output brother and the rated output. Of 5.5 millivolt on the 2M red seems. Rather conservative to me and I would suggest that it is upward of seven point to millibolt period Regardless it is easily the quietest phono cartridge. I've ever experience and hungry and hum rejection is ei the best. I've ever experienced and that includes some very esoteric cartridges of the past. For examthe Pickering XSV 3000 the Stanton L847S.. And even. This company's own OM40 gold with it. It's soteric Britt's ganger stylus cannot equal or surpass the bonded elliptical of the 2M red. After the 25 hour mark and before the 50 hour mark I notice the stylus opened up and the rated compliance of 18 to 20. Gave me impression that it was right at the twentremark as I could hear deeper base and higher heigyes as if out of nowhere suddenly late. On whatever I was listening to. The 2M red was now ready forbirds test. And put it to the test. I did with the professor Johnson's astounding sounding sound show test record that I am which exposes a cartridge words faultiness. And excellence and it just can't run and hide from these two! Everything from percussion the opening dynamics the child on the soft jazz the African precaution. It was all there to perfection save. One little part in the beginning which had suffered damabout 40 years ago with another photo cartridge that I owned at that time period. Channel balance proved tothen and I've never heard better channel balance in my life. !! Inconclusion. I would say definitely go for it at its current Bryce. And it is my hope that the manufacturer does not raise a price at all one. Iota and should indeed lower the Price of the replacement stylit is please placed too close to the total price of the cartridperiod. Another nice thing is you can easily upgrade. To the 2M blue stylist but why bother is my feeling and why paying the $150 more or whatever it is at the time of purchase? It seems to me that we were always thinking about upgrading when I wonder if in fact we should just be happy with what we hand be satisfied. And just enjoy the music! My RCA Redfield recording of witches brew. Prove to be extremely dynamic and I'm the cabbage man's crack of the whip on overture to Tim ocean. Turn which starts the classic recording was so dynamic that it made me jump out of my seat. !he bases worth thunderously and honestly low and that brings me to another point. This is an ultimately honest cartridge that is a true calibration cartridge. Surpassing all calibration or so called cartridges of the past So don't hesitate my friend? Pull the trigger and get this one and the BEL red satin hedgehog also if you're in a position of mounting this. Wonderful combo I'm bored on your technique style turn table which I own. Mine is the SL 2500 professional direct drive model go to combination removable head shells and the bee well. Red satin head shell and 2M red just mate so wonderfully together but I cannot say enough about them.. It should also be noted that I use the roles of VP29 read photo pre app during this review and I will continue to use this as it. Is now my main reference system. Everything as everything else seems to pale by comparison.. Show my friend in conclusion I would say to go back to any other phone or CA cridge would. Be unthinkable after hearing. The two m red as as this manufacturer has pulled out all the stops and kudos to the engineer! The B The Beach Boys 15 big ones never sounded better and if there are any short comings up the 2M red it would be this period period. .. That that it is slightly more brilliant the marriage in the highest and perhaps may sound overpowering with speakers that. Exhibit exaggerated tdouble so beware of that or you could just simply back on the tone control a little bit or maybe even just run it flat. You do have to spend a lot more for a tiny bit of improvement over the 2 Emerald and forget the competition that hobbers. In the $100 to $200 price range forget it!They are not worth seeking out compared to the 2M red. Happy listening and God-bless!!!!! PJS too.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2023 by Peter J. Sammon II
Love It!
Color: 2M Red
I've owned a lot of cartridges since the 1980s. from Audio-Technica, to Grado, various Shure models, the original Ortofon om series with stylus profiles all the way up to shibata and anything in between. In a recent quest to find a suitable cartridge for my thorens TD 170 turntable, I was searching for a replacement for the original supplied om10 cartridge by Ortofon. Well, it arrived today and I must say installation was an absolute Breeze. This new 2M Ortofon cartridge series doesn't require you to have nuts for the bolts... Just screw it down through the headshell, adjust your alignment, balance the tonearm and set the tracking force and you're off and running. The very first thing that I noticed was the increased voltage this cart has over the original OM. At 5.5 volts it has some serious volume vs many other magnetic cartridges. And that's a good thing if you don't have a very strident amplifier. The second thing I noticed right away upon dropping the needle into the record Groove for the very first time was the lowered noise floor I had with the cartridge versus a lot of others I've tried in the past. The stylus is a .3 by .7 mil elliptical that is highly polished as Ortofon does to all of their styli...and that's very important because the higher the Polish.. the smoother the tip.. the quieter the ride so to speak. And that makes it very forgiving to older records with Groove wear and groove grunge.. if you have records in your collection that are less than perfect. Imaging is excellent at this price point and it is very neutral sounding from bass through treble with a particularly strong mid-range. I suppose it's a matter of taste but since the mid-range is usually the part of music that tells the story this can be a good thing because you're not missing the heart of the action this way.. in my opinion. having spent many hundreds of dollars on other cartridges and stylus profiles in the past, I must say that although this is not the most detailed cartridge I've ever heard it is among one of the most forgiving I have ever used. No matter what I threw at it this evening it seemed to do it with ease in a very forgiving yet enjoyable fashion. It has a particular way of making all records enjoyable from brand new to fairly heavily worn allowing the user to just plainly enjoy his record collection without a lot of fuss and muss. And after all I think that's what a lot of people are really looking for. Oh sure there are a lot of critics that might like a different sound but if what you're looking for is something to Simply do a nice job on playing your valuable collection then this would be the cartridge for you. It's an honest straightforward cartridge that's very suited for Mid Mass tone arms such my Thorens many Duals and the Project or Rega tables out there on today's market. and as a upper mid compliance cartridge, it's also suitable for many automatics without worrying about the strain on the stylus cantilever...a HUGE plus. Ortofon got it right with this one and I'm very happy with my purchase!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2017 by dwayne
An absolute steal
Color: 2M Red
Easy to install and align even on non-detachable-headshel tonearms as the screws go into threads in the body. You get 99 % of the Line's performance as the esoteric features on the Blue, Bronze and Black are debatable and mostly inaudible, since the issue is trackability. Nude? Shibata ? Come on ! Snake oil ! It's like a train, not a car. It either stays on track or derails. The speed, on scale, is over 3,000 mph. No terrestrial vehicle compares. Mistracking is obviously audible, a sour sounding buzz, this contraption sounds sweet and punchy. An absolute steal, so good I immediately bought another one for my second, much more expensive turntable. A year after great performance and many answered questions by interested novices: As you delve deeper into melomania, snake oil peddlers will smell your hard earned bucks and relentlessly come after you like wolves, dressed in Armani sheep suits. Since the day after I was born, 65y ago, hi-fi is an integral part of my life. My dad was a Chevy trucks sales manager, knew all the tricks, one was getting quality bargains. Re read my opening statements and get vaccinated against all the BS you read by salesmen, usually desguised even on Amazon reviews as intellectually honest. Check my eclectic reviews and see I'm not one of them. Most others are one-timers (beep!) or belong to the deluded crowd that buys expensive audio gear that only on the test bench, with an oscilloscope, shows what's better. The most important part of of your music listening enjoyment is your sense of hearing. Use foam earplugs, immediately, whenever anything seems to be getting too loud. Then, in order, the quality of the recording, the read out (laser or stylus), then the room, the speakers and their position on the room relative to you. All crucial and equivalent. From then on, the importance of the sound reproducing chain dininshes exponentially, down to reductio ad absurdum: speaker and interconnect cables. Spend over 3/4 of your audio budget on well recorded music and you'll be a happy melomaniac, a true music lover, not a sorry audiophile. All of the above I can defend cathegorically as true before a panel of real experts on the field: not deaf electrical, electronic and recording engineers.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2021 by Antonio
Impressive Cartridge.
Color: Red Stealth
Everybody uses different speakers, has different electronics, listens to different music, and varied room dimensions. So, clearly it will be my own honest assessment. I have owned a multitude of under $600 MM and MC carts, two of my favorites- Denon DL110, MC, and AT VM540 ML, MM. For a direct comparison I bought the Ortofon 2M Stealth (Red) and the AT VM530 EN, brother of the VM540 ML. Right away, using two different turntables and sets of speakers, with both carts, the VM530 EN exhibited some glare, and shrill sound that I was unable to rectify. The turntable tracking, anti skate, load impedance, and load capacitance were right on the numbers. By the way, out of more than a dozen carts, I had not experienced this issue before. On the other hand, the VM530 EN seemed to have pretty good frequency range and dynamics. Now the 2M Stealth (Red), an immediate fuller texture, slightly darker timbre, and just all around better mid range and grip on the sound. It may have given up a little on dynamics and frequency range, but so what, compared to the VM530 EN. I gave the VM 530 EN about 15 solid days of play, but it was not what I was looking for. I would say skip the 530 EN and go directly for the 540 ML, which is darn good. Or, if you are not extremely picky, and want darn good sound for a lot less money try the 2M Red. Contrary to a number of other reviews on the 2M Red, I have not experienced any of negative sound characteristics. I got it for $84 on sale!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2026 by Audioman
From like to love, be patient and it will get better.
Color: 2M Red
I would say that this cartridge is excellent for the money spent but you must be patient because the run in time is well over 20-30+ hours before it truly sings. Once break in is complete it has a very balanced and precise sound w/ out too much base or treble. I paid about a $100 for my 2M red and the more time I spend with it the more confident I feel in my purchase. I especially feel it is suited to rock, pop, soul and perhaps jazz. I bought the 2M red to replace a GRADO prestige black cartridge that I suspected was hitting the twilight of it's life. I am a fan of the GRADO moving iron design and almost bought the upgraded Green needle (basically the same as the black needle but guaranteed to have less imperfections as it is selected from the top 15% of it's production run). The reason I decided to try the ORTOFON 2M red was it's favorable professional reviews and it's higher output (5.5 mv). After installing it onto my Luxman PX99 phono I immediately noticed how good it looked on the Luxman's proprietary headshell. So far so good, then I dropped it into a record groove and noticed the initial phono volume was definitely louder. Also good, but the sound seemed constrained - lacked bass etc, etc- yada yada...I expected it to sound rough w/ out having any run in time so over the course of the weekend I would play a few select but not beloved lp's to be ignored while I ran errands, did chores etc. After about 10 hours of break in I sat down and listened to a couple of records I felt I knew rather well. By this point the soundstage had widened some and the bass was more present. The higher frequencies seemed a bit crowded and on some recordings (early Elvis Costello for example) down right spitty as far as sibilance was concerned. I felt the overall personality of the cartridge is what you would expect from a Moving Magnet novice to intermediate needle having an oval but not naked shank. At that point I wasn't convinced it was superior to my old GRADO. Well, I can tell you that after over 30 hrs on this needle I feel it is at least as good as the GRADO black that I previously used and I suspect has deeper base w/ out sacrificing mids and treble. The sibilance issues are slowly but surely working themselves out and the soundstage seems wider as well. All in all I'm pretty happy with my purchase and I'm looking forward to passing hour 50 w/ the 2M red to finally experience a completely (hopefully) run in ORTOFON cartridge. Although I am happy with the 2M red I can see how there is room to improve on it's sound so perhaps I'll upgrade the cartridges needle to a 2M blue later. If I hit the lotto maybe even a Bronze or black as I am impressed with the 2M line.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015 by Mawwcus
The single best piece of audio gear I have ever bought.
Color: 2M Red
I had never changed a turntable cartridge before, but my old stylus was so worn out that the signal degradation was audible. I figured if I was gonna do it I should do it right. Multiple articles online recommended the Ortophon Red. It was pricy but I decided to take a chance. With my inexperience, installation was not easy. I broke a tonearm wire and had to replace it. I had trouble screwing the new cartridge into the headshell. The instructions were not clear in some ways and completely wrong in others. I wired it up according to the instructions, and I had no sound. I had to go online to find out how it should properly be wired, and then it worked. Once it was properly installed I had to go through the trouble of adjusting my counter-weight and anti-skid and all that good stuff. Took me hours to get it right. Like I said, I'm not very experienced with the tech side of my music hobby. But eventually I got it all working. And it was SO WORTH IT. All of the hours of work I put in were forgotten when I listened to the first song on my upgraded setup. (For the record - no pun intended - it was the Dance With the Dead album Driven to Madness. Lots of heavy guitars and bright synths.) I could not believe my ears. The sound was incredible. The treble was brighter. The bass was boomier. The midrange was deeper. Everything was clearer and more detailed. And that remains the case whether I'm listening to metal, synthwave, classical, jazz, or whatever. I am really blown away by the overall brightness and depth of sound. Another thing that impresses me is that it is so much easier to hear the bass guitar now. I cannot recommend highly enough that you upgrade to an Ortophon cartridge if you have the kind of tonearm that it will fit on.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2023 by ELogos
So far, sooo good.
Color: 2M Red
First time in a looong time i replaced a phono cartridge. My eyes ain’t what they once were (even with optical magnification assistance) and the fact that my fingers are now the size of sausage links makes tinkering with teeny tiny screws challenging. This cartridge replaces a green Audio Technica AT95E that i had pre mounted on a spare tone arm headshell assembly (AT-LP-120usb). The color coding on the cartridge was a HUGE help. A word of caution though. The lead wires are soldered to sleeve type connectors that slip on and off those color coded pins. I needed a pair of needle nose pliers to remove and they were tight. Be careful removing them. Too much force exerted will break the soldered leads. Also the Ortofon pins seem to be of a smaller diameter so the connector sleeves had to be pinched closed. Too tightly and you’ll need to re-insert on the old cartridge pins to open up connectors a bit. Trial and error. Patience is key. Glad I didn’t have to deal with small nuts as the cartridge had threaded inserts. Re- balance the tonearm and lower the counter weight a bit (from 2.0 to 1.8) and we are ready rock! So far I think this cartridge sounds cleaner, clearer, crisper. Definitely an upgrade. UPDATE: 12/10 so, I learned a valuable lesson. Tracking force matters. I have a digital needle tracking force meter with corroded batteries. The replacement batteries cost nearly as much as the meter. BUT money well spent. Tonearm tracking force was WAY off. Sound is much crisper. But I think my next cartridge will be a Blue.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2023 by Herbsworld
The best sounding entry level cartridge I've found
Color: 2M Red
I've tried others but come back to Ortofon time and again. From the FF series to VMS series for their clarity & powerful output. 2M Red (slightly less output at 5mv) carries on the previous performance with modern enhancements. Excellent low end, smooth mids & detailed highs. And it's not even broken-in yet!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026 by R. J. Kerr