Ortofon 2M "Silver" an upgraded version o the "Blue", or just a version for packaged TT

@sunnyjim,

Google is your friend! Google "Ortofon 2M Silver" and you will find their description, including the following:

2M Silver phono cartridge is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) model that takes most of the characteristics of the 2M Red. 2M Silver's special feature is silver plated copper coils, the same coil wire material as in the 2M Bronze and Black models, with a reduced number of windings.

"Special for 2M Red, 2M Blue and 2M Silver phono cartridges:

- 2M Silver will be an upgrade compared to 2M Red due to a special suspension and silver plated copper wire material.

- 2M Blue is an upgrade compared to both 2M Red and 2M Silver thanks to Nude Elliptical diamond which retrieves information from the groove with a higher accuracy.

https://www.ortofon.com/stylus-2m-silver-p-396

with a reduced number of windings.

To me that is the key point. Reduced number of windings.

Lower output, but lower coil inductance. Thus more natural detail.

Long story, but inductance, created with large windings on MM cart coils to increase output... this reduces detail via obscuration, or slowed/slurred response, in both the upswing of the signal and microsignals and the downswing of each. What it tends to do is create the impression of detail (too much winding) but really it is just ’falsified detail obscuring --- time lagged screech’. It’s part of the same reason I detest high and mid output MC carts. It’s not just the increase in moving mass, it’s the increase in inductance, when it comes to MC carts.

Combine it with the shibata and you might have something that many might feel is better than the 2m black.

It all depends on how your given phono preamp deals with the signal levels and if those signal levels match up with it’s dynamic window. The window that exists between the phono preamps’s natural or whole noise and overload distortion characteristics.

I have two of these TT included 2m blue/silver carts, both grabbed when a reseller of used traded-in stuff abandoned them, as new/unused/low hour units. As soon as I found out about the lower amount of windings and thus the lower output, I new that this was probably the best cart body in the entire 2m line, IMO..when it comes to being natural sounding (in the long run, after burn in and so on)

If one reads and absorbs correctly..the ENTIRE article on cable design and testing in this thread (where I linked it)... then it will make more sense.

In principle the Silver is a hybrid made of

the generator of Bronce or Black
(coils have silver coated copper wire)

and the bonded elliptical stylus of the Red

My son just bought a Pro-ject turntable with this cartridge included.  It seems to have a very low output, or his new Denon 2.1 receiver just doesn't have a good enough phono section,  I plan to move my circa 1982 Rega up to his room to test the theories.  Maybe I should consider a separate phono pre-amp for his college graduation soon?