Ortofon 2M Blue Verso Moving Magnet Cartridge

Choosing the Ortofon 2M Blue Verso for a Bottom-Mount Headshell

Ortofon 2M Blue Verso is a moving magnet phono cartridge for turntables that need the cartridge mounted from underneath the headshell. It’s the bottom-mount version of the 2M Blue, which Ortofon positions as an upgrade on both the 2M Red and the 2M Silver. The 2M Blue Verso combines a nude elliptical diamond with Ortofon’s split pole pin technology. That gives owners of bottom-mount headshells the same stylus and generator as the standard 2M Blue.

Will the Ortofon 2M Blue Verso fit my turntable’s headshell?

The Ortofon 2M Blue Verso is designed specifically for bottom-mount headshells, which require the cartridge to be fixed from underneath. Ortofon builds the 2M Series in four versions to match the dimensions and weights of today’s popular turntables. The standard 2M suits the most common turntables. The 2M Premounted is for direct, easy mounting and replacement on S-shaped tonearms. The 2MR has a low-form-factor housing for Rega-style turntables and tonearms. The Verso covers bottom-mount headshells.

Choose the 2M Blue Verso if your headshell needs underside mounting. Ortofon advises checking your turntable’s manual or the manufacturer’s specifications for cartridge type, mounting style and tonearm compatibility before you buy.

What does the nude elliptical stylus change?

The 2M Blue Verso is fitted with a nude elliptical diamond with an 8/18 µm tip radius, carried on an aluminium cantilever. A tipped diamond sits on a metal shank. A nude diamond doesn’t, so it weighs less. Ortofon links that lower mass to better responsiveness, greater detail and reduced distortion.

The elliptical cut matters because the diamond is the only part of the cartridge that touches the groove. Ortofon explains that finer cuts have a larger contact area with the groove wall. Slimmer shapes follow the groove more precisely and come closer to the profile of the cutting stylus used to make the record. This stylus is the reason Ortofon ranks the 2M Blue above the 2M Red and 2M Silver: it retrieves information from the groove with higher accuracy.

Why does the Ortofon 2M Blue Verso use split pole pins?

The Ortofon 2M Blue Verso is built with split pole pins, Ortofon’s own invention and trademark. The technology reduces energy loss, and with it the loss of the musical signal. Ortofon says this lets a moving magnet cartridge achieve a flat frequency response like a moving coil cartridge. The published response is 20 Hz to 20 kHz at +2/−1 dB. The generator pairs the split pole pins with quad coils wound in oxygen-free copper wire.

Should you choose the 2M Blue Verso or another 2M Series model?

The 2M Blue Verso is the right pick if you want a step up from the 2M Red or 2M Silver while staying in their stylus family. The 2M Silver improves on the Red through a special suspension and silver-plated copper wire. The 2M Blue goes beyond both through the nude elliptical diamond explained above.

The 2M Bronze, 2M Black and 2M Black LVB 250 sit higher in the range. Their styli form a separate interchangeable group, so moving up to them means buying a new cartridge rather than fitting a new stylus.

Moving coil cartridges are the other alternative. Ortofon recommends a moving magnet cartridge if you want the option of easy stylus upgrades later. It points listeners who want to go further towards moving coil designs.

Will its 20 µm/mN compliance suit your tonearm?

The 2M Blue Verso is a moderate-compliance cartridge, rated at 20 µm/mN dynamic lateral compliance. Ortofon classes 10–20 µm/mN as moderate. The compliance has to match your tonearm’s mass to keep the system’s resonance frequency within Ortofon’s recommended 7–12 Hz, with 10 Hz as the target. Ortofon notes that systems outside 6.5–14 Hz are questionable and may not work properly.

Ortofon’s formula is F = 1000 ÷ (2π × √(M × C)). M is the total mass of cartridge, headshell, screws and the tonearm’s effective mass. Using the 2M Blue Verso’s 20 µm/mN compliance:

• A total mass of about 12.7 g puts resonance at 10 Hz.
• A total above about 25.8 g drops resonance below 7 Hz.

The cartridge weighs 7.2 g. That leaves roughly 18.6 g at most for the tonearm’s effective mass plus headshell and screws. Lighter combinations move resonance up towards the 10 Hz target.

Ortofon pairs low-mass arms of 10 g or below with moderately high and very high compliance cartridges. It pairs moderate-mass arms of 11–25 g with moderate to low compliance cartridges. Check your arm’s published effective mass against these figures before ordering.

Which phono stage settings does the Ortofon 2M Blue Verso need?

The Ortofon 2M Blue Verso is specified for a 47 kOhm load resistance and a 150–300 pF load capacitance, the loading of a moving magnet phono input. Its 5.5 mV output at 1 kHz is an increased output that Ortofon cites as part of its optimised sound reproduction. If your phono stage has adjustable loading, set it within these values.

How do you set it up once it’s mounted?

The 2M Blue Verso is specified to track at 1.8 g, within a range of 1.6–2.0 g. Set your tonearm’s tracking force to the recommended 1.8 g. The cartridge has a 20° tracking angle. Ortofon provides a downloadable user guide for mounting and adjustment.

Can you replace the stylus when it wears?

The 2M Blue Verso is a moving magnet cartridge with a replaceable stylus, so stylus wear doesn’t mean replacing the whole cartridge. Ortofon lists the 2M Blue stylus as interchangeable with the 2M Red and 2M Silver styli.

The Stylus 2M 78 fits only the 2M Mono and 2M 78 bodies. To play 78s, you’ll need a 2M 78 cartridge or a 2M Mono fitted with the Stylus 2M 78.

What is the cartridge body made from?

The 2M Blue Verso is housed in a polymer and aluminium body, finished in black and blue. Its 7.2 g weight is the cartridge figure in the tonearm resonance calculation above.