Ortofon 2M Black Verso Moving Magnet Cartridge

Should You Buy the Ortofon 2M Black Verso for Your Bottom-Mount Headshell?

Ortofon 2M Black Verso is a moving magnet cartridge designed specifically for bottom-mount headshells, where the cartridge has to be fitted from underneath. Ortofon describes the 2M Black as the flagship of its 2M Series. Choose the Verso if your tonearm uses a bottom-mount headshell and you want that flagship model with a Nude Shibata stylus, Ortofon's split pole pin generator and a stylus you can replace yourself.

Is the Verso the right 2M variant for your headshell?

The Verso is one of four mounting configurations in the Ortofon 2M Series, and the right one depends on your tonearm. The standard 2M suits most common turntables on the market. The 2M Premounted is for owners who want direct, easy mounting and replacement on an S-shaped tonearm. The 2M Verso is for bottom-mount headshells. The 2MR uses a housing tailored to Rega-type turntables and tonearms that need a low form factor cartridge.

Before you order, check how your headshell takes a cartridge. If it's built for mounting from underneath, the Verso is the variant to buy. If not, one of the other three configurations will match your tonearm.

Where does it sit in the Ortofon 2M Series?

This cartridge is the flagship of the 2M Series, according to Ortofon. The series includes the 2M Red, 2M Blue, 2M Bronze, 2M Black and 2M Black LVB 250. Every model shares the series' universal-fit approach to cartridge mounting, weight and size. Buyers who already own a 2M body and want the series flagship can step up to the 2M Black without leaving that ecosystem.

Is a moving magnet cartridge the right choice over moving coil?

The 2M Black Verso is a moving magnet design, and that choice shapes your upgrade path. Ortofon suggests moving magnet cartridges to buyers who want a replaceable stylus and easy upgrades later on. Ortofon points buyers seeking the most ambitious systems towards its moving coil cartridges. Choose the 2M Black Verso if you want to stay with moving magnet ownership; its stylus replacement benefits are covered further down.

What does the Nude Shibata stylus do?

The cartridge's stylus is a Nude Shibata diamond with a 6/50 µm tip radius, mounted on an aluminium cantilever. Shibata is a line contact shape. Ortofon groups it with designs such as the Replicant 100 and Fritz Gyger 70.

The diamond is the only part of a cartridge that touches the groove, so its shape governs how much groove information it can read. Ortofon explains that finer cuts give a larger contact area with the groove. Slim shapes follow the groove more precisely and come closer to the profile of the cutting stylus that made the record. The Shibata's slim, highly polished profile contacts a wide area of the groove walls, so it can retrieve information right up to the highest groove frequencies.

Nude construction matters as well. A tipped diamond is bonded to a metal shank, while a Nude diamond isn't. Ortofon notes that Nude diamonds weigh less than tipped ones, which improves responsiveness and detail and reduces distortion. Ortofon uses pure Nude diamonds in its most advanced hi-fi cartridges.

What's inside the generator?

The cartridge's generator is built around split pole pins, an Ortofon invention, upgraded with silver-plated oxygen-free copper (OFC) coil wire. Ortofon publishes 26 dB of channel separation and 1 dB of channel balance at 1 kHz. Its stated frequency response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +2/−0 dB.

Will the Ortofon 2M Black Verso match your tonearm's mass?

The Ortofon 2M Black Verso is rated at 22 µm/mN dynamic lateral compliance, and that figure has to suit your tonearm's mass. Ortofon targets a cartridge and tonearm resonance between 7 and 12 Hz, with 10 Hz recommended. It treats 6.5–7 Hz and 12–14 Hz as usable without problems. Outside those bands, the system might not work properly.

Ortofon's formula is F = 1000 ÷ (2π × √(M × C)). M is the total mass in grams of the cartridge, headshell, screws and the tonearm's effective mass. C is the compliance. Applying the formula at 22 µm/mN gives these totals:

• About 8 g of total mass gives 12 Hz.
• About 11.5 g gives the recommended 10 Hz.
• About 23.5 g gives 7 Hz.

The cartridge weighs 7.2 g, so the headshell, screws and effective arm mass together should come to roughly 16 g or less.

Ortofon classes 10 to 20 µm/mN as moderate compliance, so 22 µm/mN sits just above that band. Ortofon matches low mass tonearms, rated at 10 g or below, with moderately high and very high compliance cartridges. Tonearms above 25 g are high mass, and with this cartridge they push resonance to around 6 Hz. Check your tonearm's effective mass before you buy.

Which phono stage settings does this cartridge need?

This cartridge is a moving magnet design with a 5 mV output at 1 kHz, so it connects to an MM phono input. Ortofon recommends a 47 kOhm load resistance and 150 to 300 pF load capacitance. Its internal inductance is 630 mH and its DC resistance is 1.2 kOhm. Your tonearm cable adds capacitance to the phono stage's input, so include the cable when setting the total.

What tracking force does the Ortofon 2M Black Verso need?

The Ortofon 2M Black Verso is specified for 1.4 to 1.7 g tracking force, with 1.5 g recommended. Ortofon rates its tracking ability at 80 µm at 315 Hz and its tracking angle at 20°. Set the counterweight to the recommended 1.5 g as your starting point.

How do you change the Ortofon 2M Black Verso's mounting screws?

The Ortofon 2M Black Verso is fitted with two countersunk screws in its top plate, and Ortofon provides a procedure for replacing them with M2.0 mm screws. You'll need a Torx 8 key.

1. Remove the stylus, with its protection guard, from the cartridge body so the diamond isn't damaged.
2. Unscrew the black screw from the Verso top plate.
3. Gently detach the top plate by pulling on its screws.
4. Remove the two countersunk screws.
5. Insert the two M2.0 mm screws into the top plate.
6. Flip the plate 180 degrees and reattach it to the cartridge body.
7. Refit the black screw and tighten it with appropriate force.
8. Mount the cartridge on the tonearm with the enclosed tool.
9. Refit the stylus with its protection guard in place.

Can you replace the Ortofon 2M Black Verso stylus instead of the whole cartridge?

The Ortofon 2M Black Verso is built with a replaceable stylus, and Ortofon sells a dedicated range of 2M styli. A worn stylus degrades playback and causes undue wear on your records. Fitting a fresh stylus restores performance and protects your collection, without the cost of buying a complete cartridge.

What is the cartridge body made from?

The cartridge body is made from polymer and aluminium in a black finish. Its 7.2 g weight is the cartridge figure to use in the tonearm mass calculation above.