Clearaudio Stradivari V2 Moving Coil Cartridge

The Clearaudio Stradivari V2 is a moving coil cartridge with a body of dark brown ebony wood with a metal inlay, and sits in Clearaudio's reference MC line one step above the Concerto V2.

An absolutely pivot-symmetrical motor, boron cantilever, Micro-HD diamond and 24-carat gold coils meet a total weight of just 7 g. The name is no coincidence: in violin making too, the wood has a say.

Why the Stradivari V2?

Ebony has outstanding resonance properties – dense, hard, internally calm. The inlaid metal adds mass in exactly the right spot, so that spurious resonances are broken down instead of building up inside the body. You hear that as silence between the notes.

What you hear

A flowing, effortless gait with rich tonality, good tracking and little audible groove noise. The Stradivari V2 combines warmth and detail, control and ease, without sacrificing tonal neutrality. A cartridge for anyone who loves voices and acoustic instruments.

Who is the Stradivari V2 for?

Ideal if you want the last bit of musicality from a high-resolution turntable and a good MC phono stage. Plain talk: on a mediocre arm or a weak phono stage, the extra cost over the Concerto evaporates – the chain stays the bottleneck, not the cartridge. Get the chain right, and the step up is worth it.

Our verdict

Calm, warmth, fine detail – the Stradivari V2 is the musical heart of the V2 line. A cartridge you buy to hear music, not gear.

Technical data

• Type: Moving Coil (MC)
• Output voltage: 0.6 mV (at 5 cm/s)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 100 kHz
• Dynamic range: approx. 85 dB
• Channel separation: > 30 dB
• Channel balance: < 0.5 dB
• Cantilever: boron
• Stylus: Micro-HD diamond
• Coil: 24-carat gold, absolutely pivot-symmetrical
• System impedance: 50 Ω
• Recommended load resistance: 300 Ω
• Stylus compliance: 15 µm/mN
• Recommended tracking force: 2.8 g
• Cartridge body: ebony with metal inlay
• Weight: approx. 7 g

Frequently asked questions

What sets the Stradivari V2 apart from the Concerto V2?

Same V2 reference motor, different body: the Stradivari uses ebony with a metal inlay for an especially calm running behaviour. Sonically that means an extra step of warmth, poise and fine resolution at the same 7 g weight.

What phono stage do I need?

An MC-capable stage with around 60–66 dB of gain and a load around 300 Ω; the system impedance is 50 Ω. Tell us which phono stage you're running, and we'll match gain and loading to your system.

Does the light 7 g cartridge suit my tonearm?

At just 7 g and medium stylus compliance, the Stradivari V2 is flexible and works well with many arms of medium effective mass. Give us your model and we'll calculate the resonance frequency in advance – that saves disappointment after purchase.

Can the stylus of the Stradivari V2 be replaced?

No, on MC cartridges the diamond is permanently attached to the generator. Clearaudio therefore doesn't repair MC cartridges but exchanges them under trade-in terms, optionally as an upgrade to a current model too. That's handled through the specialist dealer – that is, through us.

Why buy the Stradivari V2 from HD Zürisee?

Because a cartridge of this class deserves precise setup. Mauri fine-tunes your Stradivari in Wädenswil to the point, and we advise you on the right combination of arm, phono stage and turntable. Call us on +41 44 680 22 00 or write to shop@hdzuerisee.ch.

Goes well with

The matching turntable and electronics are found under turntables, tonearms and phono preamplifiers. Alternatives for direct comparison are under cartridges, everything about the record under Everything Vinyl.