The Ortofon 2M Red Verso is the inverted-mount version of the entry-level 2M Red moving magnet cartridge, supplied for tonearms and headshells that mount the cartridge from below. Within the 2M Verso line, it sits alongside the Blue, Bronze and Black variants for microgroove vinyl, the 78 specialist for shellac records, and the True Mono 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 Red.
Elliptical Stylus
The 2M Red Verso uses an elliptical diamond with an 8 by 18 micrometre tip radius, the same profile fitted to the standard 2M Red. The stylus assembly is user-replaceable and can be upgraded by fitting a 2M Blue stylus to step the cartridge up the range without changing the body. The engine uses Quad-coils with split pole pins and OFC coil wire, delivering 5.5 mV at 1 kHz for an easy match to typical moving magnet phono stages.
Construction
The cartridge body is moulded from Ortofon's anti-resonant polymer compound, with aluminium reinforcement, common to the wider 2M family. The cantilever is an aluminium tube. Premounted cartridge weight is 16.7 g, and the Verso assembly is supplied ready to fit to compatible bottom-mount headshells.
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 20 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.
