An MM Phono Cartridge That Takes Music Quite Seriously: Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 Features Shibata Diamond Stylus, Rubber Compound, and Beethoven Tribute

The small headshot on the face of the Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 is immediately recognizable and the deserved namesake of this superb MM cartridge: Ludwig van Beethoven. Released in celebration of the anniversary of the composer's 250th birth, 2M Black LVB 250 draws from its renowned sibling, 2M Black, while boasting multiple performance and technical enhancements. Suffice it to say 2M Black LVB 250 takes music, sound, and details as seriously as the iconic composer.

Employing a nude Shibata diamond on a boron cantilever, the same combination as Ortofon's MC Cadenza Black, 2M Black LVB 250 delivers several instant benefits. Namely, owing to the stylus' slim, highly polished profile, it registers an extremely wide contact area to LP groove walls and ensures remarkable reproduction throughout the frequency spectrum. The addition of boron translates to stiffness while retaining a light weight, allowing for audiophile-grade levels of transparency, speed, and responsiveness.

New to 2M Black LVB 250 is the implementation of a rubber compound for the suspension, a trait that helps the cartridge attain optimal interaction between compliance and damping. Based on the Multi Wall Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNT) nano filler, it offers desirable mechanical properties that which ensure superb damping.

Weighing in at 7.2 grams and sporting a compliance of 22 μm/mN to suit the vast majority of modern tonearms, the Danish-made 2M Black LVB 250 proves as compatible as it does ear-catching. And for existing Ortofon users, it offers seamless interchangeability with 2M Bronze and 2M Black.

"[It has] a sound that boasts rock-solid imaging, great stereo focus and depth, along with a smooth, lush view of strings and other acoustic instruments."
—EISA, Phono Cartridge Award for 2021-2022