Clearaudio Maestro V2

The Maestro V2 sits directly below the Charisma V2 flagship in Clearaudio’s moving-magnet range — and it is the reason Clearaudio’s MM line has been taken seriously by moving-coil listeners for over a decade. Named 2013 Phono Cartridge of the Year by The Absolute Sound, it has been Clearaudio’s best-selling MM in the years since.

The technical decision that makes the Maestro V2 stand apart from the lesser MMs in the V2 line is the cantilever-and-stylus combination. Where the Virtuoso V2, Artist V2, and Performer V2 use aluminum cantilevers with elliptical styli, the Maestro V2 uses a solid boron rod cantilever with Clearaudio’s Micro HD diamond stylus — the exact combination Stereophile’s Michael Fremer noted is otherwise found only on Clearaudio’s most expensive MC cartridges, including the Goldfinger Statement. Boron is stiffer and lighter than aluminum; Micro HD retrieves finer detail and traces the groove better than elliptical. The body is integral ebony wood, machined for greater rigidity than the older Maestro Wood it replaces.

Measured, the Maestro V2 delivers 3.6 mV at 5 cm/sec into standard 47 kΩ MM loading (some later production runs report 4.2 mV), with > 30 dB channel separation and ≤ 0.2 dB channel balance at 2.2 g tracking force. Total mass 8.4 g, coil impedance 660 Ω, coil inductance around 0.40 H. It sits below the Charisma V2 (which shares the same diamond-coated boron cantilever as the Goldfinger MC) and above the aluminum-cantilever Virtuoso V2 in the current MM lineup.

The Maestro V2 is the right cartridge for a Performance DC, Ovation, or concept Signature turntable paired with the Satisfy Black, Verify, or Tracer tonearm — the closest thing Clearaudio makes to reference-tier moving-coil performance in a moving-magnet body. Available on order at LMC Scottsdale — walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition needs a Maestro-vs-Charisma comparison with your specific turntable.