The Ortofon Stylus 2M 78 is a replacement stylus designed exclusively for the Ortofon 2M 78 moving magnet cartridge. Built around Ortofon’s True Mono engine, the 2M 78 delivers a summed mono signal from both sets of pole pins, ensuring authentic reproduction of monophonic 78 RPM shellac records without the surface noise artefacts that can result from stereo cartridges tracking a mono groove.
Spherical Diamond for Shellac
The 2M 78 uses a spherical diamond with a 65µm tip radius — substantially larger than the tips fitted to the stereo members of the 2M family. The wider radius is matched to the broader grooves cut into shellac 78s, which were pressed using a different standard to modern microgroove vinyl. By sitting properly in the groove, the spherical tip extracts more musical detail and generates less distortion than a standard LP stylus repurposed for 78 playback.
Aluminium Cantilever
The stylus is mounted on an aluminium cantilever, consistent with the construction used across the 2M range. The cantilever’s dynamic lateral compliance of 18µm/mN provides a stable, well-damped tracking platform at the recommended 1.8g (18mN) tracking force.
Compatibility
This stylus fits the 2M 78 cartridge body only. It is not interchangeable with the 2M Red, Blue, Bronze, Black, or other stereo 2M cartridge bodies. Using the 2M 78 stylus on a stereo 2M body will not produce true mono output.