Ortofon 2M Red Premounted MM Cartridge

The Ortofon 2M Red Premounted is an MM cartridge delivered ready-mounted on an Ortofon headshell (SH-4). You get not just the cartridge but the whole unit ready to click straight in – designed for tonearms with a removable headshell and bayonet connector (SME standard), such as the Technics SL-1200 and many classic Japanese turntables have.

Why the 2M Red Premounted?

Because it takes the fiddliest part off your hands. Fitting a cartridge into the headshell, aligning it and wiring it up is, for many people, the real hurdle – here it's already done. Clip it in, set tracking force and anti-skate, play music. The cartridge itself is the proven 2M Red with an elliptical diamond: honest, balanced, genre-proof.

What you get

The best-selling entry-level branded cartridge, sonically neutral and effortless across jazz, rock, classical and electronic, plus the matching headshell in one package. The elliptical grind tracks more precisely than the conical styli of many stock systems: clearer treble, more distinct voices, less sibilance in loud passages.

Who is the 2M Red Premounted for – and who isn't it for?

Ideal if your tonearm has a removable headshell (bayonet/SME) and you want to get started with no fitting effort. Straight talk: on a tonearm with a fixed headshell – such as many Rega or subchassis turntables – you can't use the Premounted; then the standard 2M Red or, for Rega, the 2MR is the right choice.

Our verdict

The fastest way to a 2M Red: headshell and cartridge already combined, clip in and go. For anyone with a bayonet tonearm who wants to skip the fitting – with no sonic compromise versus the standard Red.

Technical specifications

• Cartridge type: MM (moving magnet)
• Version: pre-mounted on Ortofon headshell (SH-4), for bayonet/SME tonearms
• Tracking diamond: elliptical (bonded)
• Tip radius: r/R 8/18 µm
• Output voltage: 5.5 mV (1 kHz, 5 cm/s)
• Frequency response: 20–20,000 Hz (+3/−1 dB)
• Channel separation: 22 dB (1 kHz)
• Stylus compliance: 20 µm/mN
• Recommended tracking force: 1.8 g (1.6–2.0 g)
• Recommended load: 47 kOhm · 150–300 pF
• Recommended tonearm: light to medium mass
• Cartridge weight: 7.2 g (plus headshell)
• Replacement stylus: Stylus 2M Red (upgrade: Stylus 2M Blue)
• What's included: cartridge pre-mounted on Ortofon headshell SH-4, stylus brush

Frequently asked questions

Which tonearms does the 2M Red Premounted fit?

Tonearms with a removable headshell and bayonet/SME connector, such as the Technics SL-1200 and many classic Japanese turntables. If your tonearm has a fixed headshell – like many Rega models – it won't fit; then take the standard 2M Red or, for Rega, the 2MR.

What does the pre-mounted Premounted version give me?

It saves you the fitting: the cartridge already sits aligned in the headshell, you just clip it in. The swap trick is handy – with several headshells you switch between cartridges in seconds, for instance a second stylus for mono or shellac. You'll still set tracking force and anti-skate.

Why buy the Ortofon 2M Red Premounted at HD Zürisee?

Because we'll tell you beforehand whether your tonearm even works with a bayonet headshell – otherwise you'd end up with the wrong cartridge. HD Zürisee in Wädenswil is an authorised Ortofon partner; we'll set the unit up ready to go if you'd like and tune it to your turntable. Call or write to us.

Goes well with

Goes well with: a matching phono preamp, a solid turntable as a base and more cartridges to compare.