Clearaudio Concerto V2

The Concerto V2 was the first cartridge in Clearaudio’s moving-coil line to combine the twelve-finger platform body with the company’s fully symmetrical generator — a design combination that Clearaudio later carried up through Stradivari, Jubilee, da Vinci, Titanium, and Goldfinger. It sits in the middle of the low-output MC range, below the tonewood-bodied Stradivari V2 and Jubilee MC but sharing much of their architecture.

The body is satiné wood — chosen for the warmth and richness a wooden body adds without losing the transient speed the V2 generator brings. Inside sits Clearaudio’s absolutely-symmetrical coil assembly (Peter Suchy’s patented topology) with 24-karat gold air-core coils in Clearaudio’s patented eight-magnet Ring array using super neodymium magnets. A rigid boron cantilever carries a Micro HD diamond stylus with the same 0.008 × 0.040 mm radii used higher in the range. Total mass is 7.0 g — the same as da Vinci V2 above and Stradivari V2 above that.

Measured, Concerto V2 delivers 0.8 mV output into a 50 Ω impedance and a 70 dB dynamic range at 2.8 g tracking force. The 0.8 mV output is high enough for most quality MC phono stages without needing a step-up transformer. In the Clearaudio range, it sits above the Talisman V2 Gold in the low-output MC line and below the tonewood-bodied Stradivari V2.

Concerto V2 is the right cartridge for a serious Innovation-tier system (Innovation Basic, Innovation Compact, or Ovation with an upgraded PSU) paired with the Universal or Tracer tonearm. Available on order at LMC Scottsdale — walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition needs a Concerto-vs-Stradivari-vs-Jubilee comparison with your specific turntable in the room.