Ortofon 2M Red
Ortofon 2M Blue
Ortofon 2M Bronze
Ortofon 2M Black
Audio Note IQ I
Audio Note IQ II
Audio Note IQ III
The entry level to the 2M range is far from entry level in performance. It’s no wonder this cartridge enjoys the following it has.
Much of this is down to the facets of the stylus - how the stylus profile is cut. This allows the stylus to travel further into the groove of each disc and reach information that is unavailable to other cartridges at this price point.
What we say:
There’s no doubt that this cart punches well above it’s weight. It has bags of detail and presence and is an excellent ambassador for the Ortofon brand.
This builds on the abilities of the 2M Red with some interesting tweaks.
Whilst it shares the same stylus cut, this is a ‘nude’ eliptical stylus which means the diamond stylus is not coated, giving a more natural sound which, when fitted to a turntable of sufficient quality, is clearly evident in it’s presentation of the music.
What we say:
The literal and figurative big brother of the 2M Red. This has the same characteristics of the Red but turns them up to 11. It presents a sophisticated take on vinyl replay and ability to retrieve and portray detail.
Significant changes to the stylus and body type sets the 2M Bronze (and latterly, the Black) apart from the rest of the 2M range. Aimed at discerning listeners, this cartridge demands a quality system to give it space to really show it’s character.
What we say:
The is where it starts to get serious. Whilst it doesn’t appear to have the immediacy of sound like it’s smaller brethren, the Bronze is a beautifully accomplished cartridge that really excels with complex music.
A more relaxed initial presentation gives way to a confident portrayal of music that gets deep into the performance. An understated beauty.
The 2M Black is the Flagship of the 2M Range and shares the Shibata stylus from the MC Jubilee.
Its slim, highly polished profile allows an exceedingly wide contact area to the groove walls and ensures notably detailed reproduction throughout the spectrum, including even the most high-frequency groove information.
Users of the 2M Black will enjoy the benefit of impeccable sound quality, along with reduced record & stylus wear, and reduced distortion and phase error as a result of the diamond’s improved tracking geometry.
What we say:
This is a monster and a personal favourite of ours. We were stunned when we first heard one of these.
Straight out of the box, it had bags of authority, detail, control, and most of all, fun. It sounded so engaging and so much like a moving coil cartridge. Incredible dynamics and lifelike presentation makes this one of our heroes and something which isn’t out of place on a high-end turntable. .
The IQ I features a rigid, yet lightweight body made from Pocon, which is equipped with integral threaded inserts for easy installation in the tonearm head shell. This mounting system greatly improves mechanical coupling between the cartridge body and head shell in comparison to the traditional nut and bolt fixing.
The internal coils are made from extremely fine copper wire, and the cantilever is formed from a specific grade of aluminium tube. You may also notice that the suspension is more stiff than usually seen in moving magnet cartridges of this type.
The stylus is a Gyger Type 2, and the complete assembly is removable, making replacement or upgrade a very simple and cost-effective process. In fact, all of the IQ stylus assemblies are interchangeable, meaning that you could start with an IQ-I, and eventually replace the stylus assembly with the vastly superior version used in the IQ-III.
It has been designed to be used with a moving magnet compatible phono stage, with an input impedance of 47K Ohms. Total capacitance in parallel (including arm lead and amplifier capacitance) should not exceed 200pF. If other values of load resistance and capacitance are used, the frequency response of the cartridge may depart from the specified values.
What we say:
A brilliant introduction to the world of Audio Note cartridges. Equally at home on other systems as well as the house brand, it reveals texture and detail that more expensive cartridges fail to resolve.
The IQ II features a rigid yet lightweight body made from Pocon, which is equipped with integral threaded inserts for easy installation in the tonearm head shell. This mounting system greatly improves mechanical coupling between the cartridge body and head shell in comparison to the traditional nut and bolt fixing.
The internal coils are made from extremely fine copper wire, and the cantilever is formed from a specific grade of hardened aluminium tube. You may also notice that the suspension is more stiff than usually seen in moving magnet cartridges of this type.
The stylus is an Audio Note Type 2, and the complete assembly is removable, making replacement or upgrade a very simple and cost-effective process. In fact, all of the IQ stylus assemblies are interchangeable, meaning that you could start with an IQ-I, and eventually replace the stylus assembly with the vastly superior version used in the IQ-III.
It has been designed to be used with a moving magnet compatible phono stage, with an input impedance of 47K Ohms. Total capacitance in parallel (including arm lead and amplifier capacitance) should not exceed 200pF. If other values of load resistance and capacitance are used, the frequency response of the cartridge may depart from the specified values.
What we say:
The middle child of the IQ range is anything but awkward. Fine resolution and spaciousness are handled with aplomb, without being harsh or revealing which is typical of styli that dig so far into the groove.
The IQ III features a rigid yet lightweight body made from Pocon, which is equipped with integral threaded inserts for easy installation in the tonearm head shell. This mounting system greatly improves mechanical coupling between the cartridge body and head shell in comparison to the traditional nut and bolt fixing.
The internal coils are made from extremely fine copper wire, and the IQ III uses the same cantilever material found in the legendary Audio Note IO I moving coil cartridge. Made from titanium tube rather than aluminium, the cantilever is unique, and in combination with the Audio Note Type 2 stylus, offers a level of performance that was often thought impossible to achieve with a moving-magnet design.
The complete stylus assembly is removable, making replacement or upgrade a very simple and cost effective process. In fact, all of the IQ stylus assemblies are interchangeable, meaning that you could start with an IQ-I, and eventually replace the stylus assembly with the vastly superior version used in the IQ-III.
It has been designed to be used with a moving magnet compatible phono stage, with an input impedance of 47K Ohms. Total capacitance in parallel (including arm lead and amplifier capacitance) should not exceed 200pF. If other values of load resistance and capacitance are used, the frequency response of the cartridge may depart from the specified values.
What we say:
Our personal favourite of the range, this delivers huge performance without any caveat. It offers the best of MC carts - fine resolution, detail, huge soundstage, and sophistication, but with the characteristic warmth and low noise floor of MM cartridges. A wonderful cartridge that breathes life into even well worn discs.
This is on permanent demonstration on our Audio Note TT2 Deluxe turntable.