Clearaudio Virtuoso V2

The Virtuoso V2 is Clearaudio’s classic ebony-bodied moving-magnet cartridge — the entry into the ebony-body MM family that runs upward through the Panzerholz-bodied Jubilee MM, the boron-cantilevered Maestro V2, and the Charisma V2 flagship. It has anchored Clearaudio’s MM catalogue for years as the version most Ovation or Performance DC buyers land on when they want a proper wood-body MM without stepping into the higher-tier arms above.

The body is hand-polished ebony wood — the resonance-optimised material Clearaudio uses across the V2 MM line, chosen for the way it damps unwanted vibrations in ways aluminum or polycarbonate cannot. Inside, the Virtuoso V2 uses an aluminum cantilever paired with an elliptical diamond stylus — the family MM combination shared with the Performer V2 and Artist V2 below it, and distinct from the boron-cantilever, Micro HD stylus fitted to the higher-tier Maestro V2 above. The tier difference between Virtuoso and Maestro is the cantilever and stylus, not the body wood.

Measured, the Virtuoso V2 delivers ~ 3.6 mV output into standard 47 kΩ MM loading, with 0.66 kΩ coil impedance and the same fundamental measurement discipline (hand-selected into four performance levels) as every V2 MM in the range. Compliance 15 µ/mN, tracking force 2.2 g.

Virtuoso V2 is the right cartridge for a Performance DC or Ovation with the Verify, Satisfy Black, or Tracer tonearm — a proper ebony-body moving-magnet where the listener isn’t reaching for reference-tier retrieval. Available on order at LMC Scottsdale — walk in during business hours or book ahead if the audition needs a Virtuoso-vs-Maestro-vs-Jubilee MM comparison with your specific turntable.