Cellule MM Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, Ortofon offered in 2021 a unique MM cartridge, the 2M Black LVB 250! This "Ludwig van Beethoven 250 Anniversary" Ortofon cartridge is designed on the manufacturer's flagship model, the Ortofon 2M Black, which is certainly one of the best MM cartridges ever made.

As the latter already offered remarkable performance, it was not easy to modify it while guaranteeing even higher performance! The choice fell on redesigning the moving system, borrowing it from the famous and superb Ortofon Cadenza Black MC cartridge.

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250: stylus and cantilever

Indeed, the 2M Black LVB 250 cartridge uses a Nude Shibata diamond encapsulated on a boron cantilever.

The very fine profile, polished with extreme precision in Nude Shibata, allows an extremely wide contact area with the groove walls. This ensures a detailed and linear reproduction across the entire audio spectrum, and particularly in the high frequencies where it excels.

The choice of a boron cantilever helps maintain great neutrality and remarkable dynamics. Boron is an extremely rigid and very light metalloid. Nevertheless, using this moving system required in-depth research into the suspension of the assembly.

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250: technology

In order to obtain an optimal interaction between the compliance and the damping of the cantilever/stylus assembly, Ortofon developed a new rubber compound. This new formula is a rubber blend based on the highly efficient nano-filling of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT).

This new MWCNT-based material offers remarkable mechanical properties, thus ensuring perfect damping while improving the performance of the phono cartridge. It should be noted that the MWCNT powder is applied in a rubber polymer matrix and not in powder form, which makes the production process cleaner, non-polluting and energy-efficient.

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250: installation

Setting it up is quite simple, and its alignment poses no problem. The setup is relatively identical to the 2M Black, except that the tracking force is different (1.6 g), but we kept an anti-skating at 1.5.

Of course, this MM cartridge is intended for high-performance turntables and tonearms, as well as for excellent-quality MM phono preamplifiers.

Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250: test and listening

Given the range and ambition of this phono cartridge, we paired it with two quite different turntables (REGA Planar 6 and Pro-Ject X-Tension 10) and with a reference preamplifier under 1500 euros (Aurorasound Vida Prima).

From the very first bars, the picture is clear. The Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 shows a transparency and a sense of detail unprecedented among moving magnet cartridges.

The definition and transparency are surprising. One would think to be in the presence of an MC cartridge... The finesse in the top of the spectrum, and its precision, are worth citing as an example. The bass is very articulate and particularly precise. To this is added a midrange of surprising clarity, free of any distortion or surface noise.

The 2M Black LVB 250 is of course less sweet and "round" than the standard 2M Black. It is more neutral and straight.

The bandwidth is incredibly wide. No limit is felt at either end of the spectrum. The dynamics are excellent, without matching a Cadenza Red MC cartridge on transients. The noise level is at the limit of audibility... No hiss or surface noise, the silences are respected religiously.

The Ortofon 2M Black Ludwig van Beethoven 250 Anniversary MM cartridge is certainly THE best high-end MM cartridge currently available... Even if it cannot rival an MC cartridge of the same range in finesse and nuance, it is a "feat" and a benchmark!

Recommended!

AWARD:
EISA Award - Best Product - 2021/2022

FAQ: Everything you need to know before buying the Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 cartridge

How does it differ from the standard 2M Black?

Designed on the model of the 2M Black, this Ludwig van Beethoven anniversary edition borrows its moving system from the Cadenza Black MC cartridge: a Nude Shibata diamond encapsulated on a boron cantilever, combined with a new rubber compound based on carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). When listening, it is less sweet and "round" than the standard 2M Black, more neutral and more straight, with a transparency and a sense of detail unprecedented for a moving magnet cartridge.

Is it easy to install and set up?

Yes. The setup is quite simple and its alignment poses no problem, in a way relatively identical to the 2M Black. Only the tracking force differs and is set to 1.6 g, with the anti-skating kept at 1.5.

Which turntable and which preamp should be paired with it?

This MM cartridge is intended for high-performance turntables and tonearms, as well as for quality MM phono preamplifiers, worthy of its level and ambition.

Does the setup of this cartridge differ from that of the standard 2M Black model?

The setup of the 2M Black LVB 250 remains quite simple and its alignment poses no particular problem for an installer accustomed to Ortofon cartridges. It is relatively identical to that of the standard 2M Black, with the only difference that the recommended tracking force is different, set at 1.6 g, with an anti-skating kept at 1.5. This MM cartridge is intended for high-performance turntables and tonearms, as well as for quality MM phono preamplifiers, in order to reveal its full potential. This requirement for a high-end pairing explains why this cartridge is aimed more at setups already built around quality components. Our guide on how to choose your Hi-Fi cartridge completes this information.