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TIME'S CELEBRATION: ORTOFON FIRST CENTURY ANNIVERSARY ! ! ! ! !

Dear friends: This is a true time's celebration for all audiophiles over the world: 100th ORTOFON ANNIVERSARY.

ORTOFON needs no presentation but stop the press and stop/delay your next cartridge buy:

https://www.ortofon.com/mc-century-p-863?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HiFi%20NL%20May%202018&am...


https://www.ortofon.com/concorde-century-p-862?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=HiFi%20NL%20May%202...



Btw, @mikelavigne as always your comments are welcomed.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
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rauliruegas OP
13,103 posts
 
Dear @amg56: """  Halfway? Are the top end cartridges 4x the performance of the low end performers? """

quality levels does not jump in the same quantity. When we have say a cartridge that performs at 90% quality level against the very best that performs at 99%.
Pass from 95% to 99% is extremely difficult task for the manufacturer that needs not only knowledge and skills but a lot of tests and time consuming that when the cartridge new model comes out in the market the MK2 version price is to high that we can think as you: that maybe is not justified because only 4% better.

No, it's not 4x performance of the low end models. It can't be but what is for sure is that the top ones are better and for you can attest it you have to own a system that can tell you the differences for the better.

R.
syntax's avatar
syntax
2,193 posts
 
I still would have thought that being such an important milestone and being in production for 100 years, the cartridge releases are for the rich and famous, nothing for the common man who still has to pay big coin for a halfway product.

Halfway? Are the top end cartridges 4x the performance of the low end performers? Considering the Cadenza Bronze (at AUD$30000) is a 1/4 the price of the century releases, do they perform 4x better?

Again, the poor guy gets ripped off. (AUD$3000) for a average cart?

Each his flavor of the week but honestly, Ortofon is mainly known for DJ and cheap designed SPU cartridges.
They simply discovered that they can make much more money with a "High End" Product, so they launched A-90.
An awful, dead cartridge which was pushed from a few deaf audiophiles in USA, in the home country Germany it was nearly unsellable. Very limited in playing time, guess 1000h and it was down. Interestingly no one from its pushers wrote about that. The next audiophile cry was the one which was named for this female violin player, Anna. Next sonic shot into the knee.
And now another milestone, no sorry, the sonic game changer mk 25.5
The next sonic blockbuster of ’the famous blue stone of Galveston’ :-)
Great
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@syntax  just to be correct: she's an opera singer, not a violin player :) Anna Netrebko studied and performed in my home town St.Petersburg. Ortofon Anna dedicated to her for some reason. 


amg56's avatar
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amg56
887 posts
 

I did talk to my local HiFi sales-pusher (he tries to grab my every dollar!) and he suggested the Rega Apheta 2 or up a bit to Aphelion 2. He said he gave away selling Ortofon due to the way THEY want HIM to sell them. He just walked away. Fair enough.

I am a complete novice on cartridges. I can only take peoples advice and read reviews (which are sometimes enlightening). My current understanding is that MC cartridges are very much influenced by the tonearm, pre-amp and so on. It's a steep learning curve.

As a lad in the 1960s the cartridge was welded to the phonograph and you watched it weave side to side as it followed the record groove. It's a whole new world an I am finding out, quickly!

mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 

Dear @rauliruegas,

i hope you are well, my friend.

yes, Ortofon cartridges have been a big part of my story. my close friend was a dealer who was very connected with what Ortofon was doing from 2008 or so, and he would allow me to get an early unit. i especially remember the A90 and first MC Anna. at that time they were very good and continued my cartridge journey which at that time we mostly vdH Colibri’s (owned 10 of those over the years). the Ortofon’s were more refined and settled than the Colibri’s, just not quite as crazy good as the peak of the Colibri’s. i owned a couple MC Anna’s, then an Anna Diamond, but never had the Century, or later Ortofons.

i added the Clearaudio GFS which was a bit more powerful and authoritative. then in the last 5-6 years moved to the Etsuro Gold of various versions (owned 4) which all around are now my favorites. and the DaVa Ref field coil, which is a force of nature unto itself. also have the Audio Technica MC-2022 with the unified stylus-cantilever linearity unmatched, as well as the Murasakino Sumile Mono which is lovely.

i view the best Ortofon’s as very, very fine cartridges, and could see myself getting another down the road. they play at a high level and are neutral and lively. for that range just below the tip top maybe as good a choice as any. never disappointed me.

More to discover