The Ortofon 2M Mono Verso is the inverted-mount version of Ortofon's 2M Mono cartridge, supplied for tonearms and headshells that mount the cartridge from below. Within the 2M Verso line, it is the True Mono specialist for microgroove (33⅓ and 45 RPM) mono LP records; the rest of the Verso family covers stereo microgroove vinyl with the Red, Blue, Bronze, Black and LVB 250 stylus profiles, alongside a 78 RPM shellac variant.
Inverted Body
Verso models share the same generator, magnetics and cantilever assemblies as the standard upward-facing 2M cartridges. The body is reoriented so that the threaded mounting bolts protrude downward from the cartridge top, allowing fitment to inverted headshells and integrated tonearms that present the mounting holes from underneath. Apart from orientation, the electrical and mechanical performance is identical to the equivalent standard 2M Mono model.
True Mono Engine
The 2M Mono Verso uses Ortofon's True Mono generator, in which both sets of pole pins are strapped to deliver the same signal. This eliminates the need for dedicated mono components and allows authentic mono playback on any standard stereo system. The stylus is a nude spherical diamond with an 18 micrometre tip radius, sized for the microgroove of mono LP pressings rather than the wider 65 micrometre tip used for 78 RPM shellac.
Construction
The cartridge body is moulded from Ortofon's anti-resonant Hopelex compound, common to the wider 2M family, and is finished in white over the standard 2M black/grey engine carrier. The cantilever is an aluminium tube. Cartridge weight is 7.2 g, consistent with other 2M models, and the stylus assembly is user-replaceable. Standard half-inch mounting is used, with M2.5 screws supplied in 5 mm and 7 mm lengths.
Tracking and Compatibility
Recommended tracking force is 1.8 g, within a permissible range of 1.6 to 2.0 g. Dynamic lateral compliance is rated at 18 micrometres per millinewton, suiting medium-mass tonearms typical of modern turntables. Recommended load is 47 kilohms with 150 to 300 picofarads of capacitance, the same loading used across the rest of the 2M series.
