I would say surface noise performance will be at least comparable to, but quite possibly better than, the DL-160. That's extrapolating from my experience with the Denon vs the 2M Blue.
Alignment will be critical since the 2M Black has a fine profile stylus. Spend some extra time. You can rough it in very easily. Just look at Ortofon's publicity photos of the 2M mounted on a Rega arm. There's also a little star-shaped dot that should be centered right where the third screw would be in a Rega three-point cartridge mount.
I think you'll be well satisfied with the Black overall, and the stylus should last a good long time with proper care. I wouldn't be surprised if you attained 1000+ hours with gentle use. So, in those terms, it represents a good value as well.
Alignment will be critical since the 2M Black has a fine profile stylus. Spend some extra time. You can rough it in very easily. Just look at Ortofon's publicity photos of the 2M mounted on a Rega arm. There's also a little star-shaped dot that should be centered right where the third screw would be in a Rega three-point cartridge mount.
I think you'll be well satisfied with the Black overall, and the stylus should last a good long time with proper care. I wouldn't be surprised if you attained 1000+ hours with gentle use. So, in those terms, it represents a good value as well.