Like I said above, I haven't heard the Ortofons and they certainly have a lots of happy users. My SME M2-12R (with an upgraded phono cable; the supplied one is not so good) holds its own next to a Triplanar VIIuii and Phantom Supreme in my system. I certainly wouldn't say its better than those arms, but it's not far behind, and I find myself listening to it just as often.
I'll add that the thing that put me off the Ortofon when I was shopping for a 12-inch arm for SPUs is the odd geometry, which disallows two null points with SPUs. I think you can overcome this issue by rotating the cartridge in the headshell, but not for SPUs. Now, whether this oddity really makes a sonic difference, I surely do not know.
I'll add that the thing that put me off the Ortofon when I was shopping for a 12-inch arm for SPUs is the odd geometry, which disallows two null points with SPUs. I think you can overcome this issue by rotating the cartridge in the headshell, but not for SPUs. Now, whether this oddity really makes a sonic difference, I surely do not know.