Ortofon 2M Black LVB - Special Edition MM Phono Cartridge

Description

MY TAKE: This special edition cartridge takes the 2M Black (a very good cartridge to begin with) up several notches. I feel the the Boron cantilver is is the prime contributor to the performance advantage. Note: Current 2M Black owners can purchase the LVB stylus assembly ($799) for a significant sonic upgrade! - Galen Carol

The new Ortofon Exclusive 2M Black LVB 250 model
 

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, we announce the release of the 2M Black LVB 250 Exclusive Model. 

The 2M Black flagship from Ortofon is widely acknowledged as being one of the best MM cartridges on the market, but at Ortofon being the best doesn’t mean that we can’t get better.

Benefits of high-end materials -

The 2M Black LVB 250 has been recreated from the concepts of its predecessor, the 2M Black, but the 2M Black LVB 250 performance takes one step further to enhance the cartridge’s capabilities and technical excellence. 
 

The 2M Black LVB 250 uses a Nude Shibata diamond on a Boron cantilever, the combination known from the acclaimed MC Cadenza Black cartridge. The Nude Shibata stylus’s 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 highest frequencies.

The use of an extremely stiff and lightweight Boron cantilever adds remarkable transparency, speed and responsiveness.
 

The new rubber compound formula -

To attain an optimal interaction between compliance and damping, a new rubber compound for the suspension system has been developed. The new rubber compound formula is based on the Multi Wall Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNT) highly efficient nano filler. The new MWCNT-based compound offers desirable mechanical properties, which ensure better damping and improve the overall performance of the cartridge.

Also, the new MWCNT rubber compound allows for more environmental-friendly production, adding further benefit. The MWCNT powder is applied in a rubber polymer matrix and not in a powdered form, which makes the production process more clean, non-polluting and energy saving.
 

REVIEWS:

2M Black LVB 250 reviews' quotes
www.hifinews.co.uk
05/2021
By Ken Kessler

The most popular range of MMs on the planet - Ortofon's 2M series - has just got a new chief.

"...it (the 2M Black LVB 250 – red.) recreates space, especially stage width more so than depth… You could almost separate the vocalist from each other, but the more impressive element was that, despite this wide-open view, one enjoyed coherence across the sound spectrum. The sound was ‘of a whole’ rather than comprising disparate elements…

...the use of it (the 2M Black LVB 250 – red.) for bass extension and speed, attack, snap, dynamic contrasts and other characteristics is indisputable… The sound was rich and full, if not quite as scalpel-like in its precision…  it also showed it has a way with the natural acoustic of a massive hall, as would host an orchestra… it certainly narrows the gap between MMs and MCs in many areas, especially warmth…

...this is a silky, sophisticated cartridge which – to my ears – favours classical, much jazz and acoustic, rather than the sizzle-and-snap of pop or rock."
 

www.analogplanet.com
04/2021
By Michael Fremer

Ortofon's 2M Black LVB 250 Cartridge Delivers Smooth, Sweet and Well-Detailed Sound 

"...the 2M Black LVB 250 delivered warmth, body, timbral honesty and especially transient “speed” I don’t usually associate with most moving magnet cartridges...

...the 2M Black 250 produced full bodied string textures, burnished brass and an overall richness not  unexpected from a well-designed and built MM cartridge...

...the 2M Black LVB’s generally warm, rich yet pleasingly open and smooth tonal balance and responsive rhythm’n’pacing that comes as close to a good moving coil design as I’ve heard from a MM. For the obstinate who stick with and prefer moving magnet to moving coil cartridges, the 2M Black LVB 250 makes the case as well if not better than any currently available MM at least that Ithat I know of."

Read the full review here: Analog Planet 
 

www.audio.de
04/2021
By Lothar Brandt

"...Ludwig van Beethoven would have enjoyed it..."
Verdict in short:
Sound quality: 97 out of 100 points
Value for money: Outstanding

HI-FI WORLD April 2021
www.hi-fiworld.co.uk
Vinyl Section
By Noel Keywood

"Ortofon’s 2M Black moving magnet cartridge set a new standard for sound quality long ago and has gathered a deserved reputation over the years for its accuracy and superb insight from a Shibata stylus. Ortofon’s update in the LVB 250 adds to its fundamental strengths, bringing in extra speed and incision through use of a boron cantilever. It remains a top MM cartridge, one demanding of a high quality arm, turntable and phono stage to get the best from it."

Stereonet: "...The 2M Black LVB 250 was again a revelation, conjuring up a really wide soundstage inside which the instrumentalists were better etched. Depth perspective was excellent, and the finesse with which this cartridge did its stuff was startling from a moving magnet perspective...
...It (the 2M Black LVB 250 – red.) certainly has a worthy claim to being the best sounding moving magnet around." - David Price

Applause Award given by David Price of Stereonet

EISA Award for Best Phono Cartridge 2021-2022. -  Reserved only for one best product within each category, award-winning products are chosen by an expert panel of judges based on technology, features, and performance.

“It fits the bill with a silky, sophisticated presentation especially well-suited to classical, jazz and acoustic music. Refined and composed, it uses a version of the stylus and cantilever found in the company’s Cadenza Black moving-coil cartridge. This, along with a new suspension, all contributes to a sound that boasts rock-solid imaging, great stereo focus and depth along with a smooth, lush view of strings and other acoustic instruments." –  Jury of The Expert Imaging and Sound Association

CUSTOMER COMMENTS:

"The LVB has developed a deep front to back separation of instruments and vocals. The same is true regarding the wide, left to right channel separation. Most images within the soundstage have a realistic size to them with most recordings and the right volume setting. The tall Magnepan speakers produce realistic soundstage height. 
More than soundstage size, I value the virtual, physical presence of the musicians when you close your eyes and just listen. This cartridge keeps my mind easily focused on all the music as if I were seeing it happen before my eyes. The Magnepan 3.7i and the ARC LS 27 tube preamp work very well with the Technics/LVB combo. The room size, the room’s acoustic treatments all work together to get the sound I am describing. It’s taken about 4 years of on and off experimenting to get to this point. It’s been fun playing around with the setup. The reward is a more realistic sounding system, plus the specialized knowledge acquired while having fun." - M.R.
 

SPECIFICATIONS:

Price: $995
Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec.  -  5 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz  -  < 1 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz  -  > 27 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz  -  15 dB
Frequency response  -  20-20.000 + 2 / - 1 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force  -  80 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral  -  22 µm/mN
Stylus type  -  Nude Shibata
Stylus tip radius  -  r/R 6/50 µm
Cantilever material - Boron
Tracking force range  -  1.5-1.7 g (15-17 mN)
Tracking force, recommended  - 1.6 g (16 mN)
Tracking angle  -  20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance  -  1.2 kOhm
Internal inductance  -  630 mH
Recommended load resistance  -  47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance  -  150-300 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus  -  Black/Black
Cartridge weight  -  7.2 g
Replacement stylus unit  - 2M Black LVB 250
Interchangeable styli units -  2M Black and 2M Bronze

Stylus lifetime: with proper care we find that up to 1000 hours is possible without degradation of performance.

2M Series styli interchangeability:
The 2M Series' engines, coils and magnets configurations are not identical: Red and Blue are identical, so are the Bronze and Black and so are the true mono variants 2M Mono and 2M 78. Likewise, 2M series styli are interchangeable within the below combinations: 
- 2M Red, 2M Blue and 2M Silver
- 2M Bronze, 2M Black and 2M Black LVB 250
- 2M Mono and 2M 78