It was a brilliant cartridge at the time, and i really think it could hold its own today against cartridges in the £500 range.
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No mistake, which is perhaps why the reasonable pricing of the Denon MCs is all the more remarkable; it seems the DL-103 has been around since the 18th century and the price seems hardly to have changed in all that time.
Not forgetting the Audio Technica F2.
And clearaudio maestro wood
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Thanks for reopening @Richard.Dane
Micheal Fremer has recently reviewed this new 2M Black very favourably on his Analog Planet website. Worth a look if you are in the market for a higher end MM cart…
“For the obstinate who stick with and prefer moving magnet to moving coil cartridges, the 2M Black LVB 250 makes the case as well if not better than any currently available MM at least that I know of”
The strategy behind the K9 was to facilitate the buying of a better arm and to still stay within a determined budget. Some, myself included, did think it was a giant killer!
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I’ve often looked at it is it any good in your opinion Richard
I’ve read loads some love it and others hate it
It’s very well priced
It’s remarkable in many respects - few cartridges can paint such a wide soundstage for one thing, and it does like an old fashioned heavy arm too, and works well with an idler drive TT, but it’s no panacea. There’s no escaping it’s an old fashioned cart. The spherical stylus and plastic body are the main compromises. Remove one and upgrade the other and you greatly improve the 103, but you also up the price too. It has great charm though, and if the arm is right, in the right deck (idler), and the system is sympathetic, it’s capable of making good music. Just don’t expect modern agility or forensic insight.
That’s sounds a good deal for the right deck and person
Pretty much like I’ve read about it
I’ve seen the wooden body kits for them on a certain site at a very reasonable price so guessed it was upgradable
Thanks for that Richard
Maybe not for me on a rega the search goes on
No, I wouldn’t think it would be a great match on a Rega.
Stereonet have now reviewed the LVB 2M Black very favourably - more info on their website, review by David Price…
“Ortofon’s new 2M Black LVB 250 cartridge is at the top table of moving magnet cartridges – it’s so good that it gives mid-price moving coils something to worry about. It’s more of an improvement on the already very good 2M Black than you might think and is head-to-head with its arch-rival, the Nagaoka MP500. The Danish design offers a slightly cleaner and less romantic sound but is still a honey to hear. It certainly has a worthy claim to being the best sounding moving magnet around.”
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