Ortofon Cadenza phono cartridges continue Ortofon’s analogue heritage as the originators of the moving coil phono pickup.
The Ortofon Cadenza range of phono cartridges, Red, Blue, Bronze and Black, represent Ortofon’s decades-long development and commitment to premium, moving coil cartridges. Aimed at serious vinyl loving audiophiles, the Ortofon Cadenza line represents some of the world’s very finest phono cartridges.
Ready to step up into a new league of analogue reproduction? Ortofon Cadenza could be the answer…
Ortofon – The Originators of Moving Coil
It was way back in the late 1950s that Ortofon debuted the world’s first MC (Moving Coil) pickup cartridge, the now legendary Ortofon SPU. The SPU, still in continuous production all these years later, cemented Ortofon’s pedigree for producing outstanding MC cartridges.
Ortofon’s reputation as masters of the MC was further cemented by classic cartridges such as the Kontrapunkt, which took the SPU legacy and continually refined it and perfected it. The Ortofon Cadenza range has been Ortofon’s flagship MC line for the last decade.
Comprising of four “flavours”, The Ortofon Cadenza Red, Blue, Bronze and Black offer different tonal signatures at different price-points. For sure, if you’re in the market for a world class MC cartridge, there will be something in the Ortofon Cadenza range to suit.
Ortofon Cadenza – The MC Cartridge Refined
In designing the Cadenza line, Ortofon set out to design a range of world-class MC cartridges incorporating the latest technological developments, all within a unified range to appeal to diverse budgets and requirements. In line with the 2M and Quintet range, the “colour” defines the standing within the range.
Every model within the Ortofon Cadenza line takes advantage of a beautiful, extruded aluminium housing, within which is housed the unique motor assembly. Cobalt-iron pole pieces, coupled to Ortofon’s new, improved winding process on the armature, ensures greater performance than ever before.
Ortofon Cadenza Red
The Ortofon Cadenza Red may be the “entry level” cartridge in the Cadenza range, but even this step on the Cadenza “ladder” comes at a quality (and price point) substantially above that of most moving magnet cartridges.
The Ortofon Cadenza Red features a nude fine line stylus with a cylindrical aluminium cantilever. The internal coils are made from 6NX (99.9999%) pure silver wire. An improved winding process on the armature allows a better channel balance for good stereo imaging.
A favourite of Hi-Fi News, winning an outstanding product award, Hi-Fi News commented that “From the start, the Cadenza Red dispensed an air of calm. It was tonally neutral, with a smooth and natural mid and treble.”
Ortofon Cadenza Blue
The Ortofon Cadenza Blue represents the traditional next step up in the Ortofon hierarchy. The most notable difference between the Cadenza Red and the Cadenza Blue is the use of a ruby cantilever instead of aluminium.
A multi-award-winner, Hi-Fi World opined that “..if you want to hear what vinyl can sound like and enjoy the magic of good analogue then [the Ortofon Cadenza Blue] is the starting point..”
Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
The Ortofon Cadenza Bronze features a number of exotic design features:
The coil wire used is the famous Ortofon Aucurum wire, which is a gold-plated version of the popular 6NX copper wire. A Field Stabilizing Element (FSE) is employed for greater linearity during crescendo passages.
The Cadenza Bronze employs Ortofon’s exotic Replicant 100 diamond stylus which features a thin and light profile with an extraordinarily large contact surface. Ortofon claims that the Replicant 100 replicates the shape of the original cutting needle so accurately, that it reads “musical information from the groove with a level of accuracy that is unparalleled by any other needle in existence“.
Ortofon Cadenza Black
Black designates the top-of-the-line in Ortofon’s cartridge range, and the Ortofon Cadenza Black is no exception. Ortofon’s very finest materials and designs are utilised in the Cadenza Black for an exceptional level reproduction.
The Ortofon Cadenza Black utilises an exotic, Nude Shibata stylus coupled to an extremely stiff and lightweight boron cantilever. Ortofon’s famous Aucurum wire is used in the coil assembly, which is a gold plated version of the popular 6NX copper wire.
The Ortofon Black employs Ortofon’s Wide Range Damping (WRD) system, which works to control the high- and low-frequency damping separately and independently. WRD has been refined and developed by Ortofon since 1979 and is reserved for Ortofon’s super-high-end cartridges.
WRD works by clamping a small, heavy disc of exotic metal between two rubber absorbers with different properties. This results in exceptional tracking ability, damping, and elimination of distortion and resonance.
Hi-Fi world felt sufficiently moved to say that “If you are looking for an ultimately smooth and sophisticated sonic delivery from LP, Ortofon’s new Cadenza Black is as good as it gets”
Whatever your requirements for a Moving Coil phono cartridge, you’re sure to find a suitable contender within the outstanding Ortofon Cadenza range.