Francis
Excellent cartridge, very faithful reproduction
Comment from June 09, 2026 — Experience from May 29, 2026
Francis
Excellent cartridge, very faithful reproduction
Comment from June 09, 2026 — Experience from May 29, 2026
Dominique
I installed this cartridge as a replacement for the original 2M Blue. Huge difference. A lot, and I mean a lot more information is extracted from the record grooves. The Shibata stylus plays a big role here. Greater dynamics and finesse as well. Fuller, more impactful bass, beautiful midrange tones, and higher-reaching treble with better definition, resulting in less listening fatigue. The reputation of this cartridge is well-deserved. I highly recommend it; you won’t be disappointed. However, keep in mind that the more high-performing a cartridge is, the more it highlights flaws as well. So, the entire system needs to be coherent and WELL ADJUSTED.
Comment from January 10, 2025 — Experience from December 30, 2024
Juan Carlos
Excellent cartridge!
Comment from October 29, 2024 — Experience from October 18, 2024
Michel
Remarkable, the best I've had to date.
Comment from April 23, 2024 — Experience from April 12, 2024
Ludovic
Excellent sound quality, precise, detailed, and expansive listening experience. A true step up from the Grado Red3.
Comment from April 15, 2024 — Experience from September 15, 2023
Sylvano
Great packaging.
Good audio quality.
However, I would like to try the LVB 250 model in the future.
Comment from December 15, 2023 — Experience from December 04, 2023
Jean Pierre
Very good cell, easy to set up on the arm.
Comment from November 13, 2023 — Experience from November 02, 2023
Deniel
Provided you wait for a good break-in period to obtain all its qualities? This Ortofon MM shibata cartridge has a very good sound rendering with high-quality vinyl records.
Comment from December 01, 2019 — Experience from August 05, 2019
Jean-Marc
Hats off to the HCS team. Competence, patience and availability. Waiting for a reasonable price for a pair of Triangle speakers.
Pros: I'm discovering my vinyl records. Pure bliss and a multitude of details.
Cons: Tedious alignment.
Comment from April 09, 2018 — Experience from March 19, 2018
Dominique
Highly recommended without hesitation
Pros: transparency, speed, very open soundstage, wealth of details.
Cons: none.
Comment from August 09, 2015 — Experience from July 22, 2015
Cavros
Fast delivery, product as described. I have a Rega RP40 with an Elys2 cartridge, and this 2M Black outperforms it. Superb definition, lots of detail, and significantly reduces surface noise, which is not negligible. However, alignment is a bit tedious. The best of the best.
Pros: Superb definition.
Cons: Difficult to adjust.
Comment from May 18, 2015 — Experience from April 27, 2015
Raphael
Mounted on my Pro-Ject 1-Xpression III turntable, this cartridge works wonders. Rich timbres, an open soundstage, brimming with micro-details, everything in its place - in short, pure MUSIC! Highly recommended for anyone wanting to rediscover their vinyl collection. Musically yours, Raphaël.
Pros: Superb product!
Cons: The stylus guard is a bit impractical, but other than that, I'm still looking...
Comment from November 28, 2014 — Experience from November 06, 2014
Jefig
It was on the basis of glowing reviews that I acquired this cartridge thanks to an exceptional promotion, and I was not disappointed. Most remarkably, this hyper-definition is accompanied by an astonishing reduction in surface noise. Be careful however about compatibility with the tonearm, or even the turntable: the 2M range requires a more rigid tonearm than the OM series.
Pros:
- Very high definition
- The best moving magnet (MM) cartridge at the moment!
Cons:
- Alignment
- Stylus guard is difficult
Comment from July 09, 2014 — Experience from August 03, 2012