Classic Ortofon Cartridges: The MC2000 MK II or the MC3000 MK II?
later of ZYX fame. I am aware that before Zyx he worked for Monster Cable with the Alpha and Genesis series ... I do not remember if it is always the same designer of the Ortofon Mc 20 30 etc. etc. The original MC30 was also a very low output device at 0.1mV (my sample is even lower at 0,09mV) also my two MC 30s ... one 0.09 the other 0.092/0,093mV but I knew an owner that the output was 0.085mV. |
Thanks for the reply Raul. I've been tempted to get MC30, but always settled for others, like MC20, MC20 super, and SL15/20 due to the budget I had. On my system, MC20 super sounds better than MC20 and SL cartridges. SPUs sound a bit smoother, but I cannot really tell my SPU gold ref and Silver Meister MKii are noticeably better than MC20 super. Currently I am using SPUs, MC20 super, Denon DL103R, DL303, and AT150mlx. I like them all, but I will try MC30 some time in the near future. |
Dear @best-groove : The MC-30 manufacturer spec was 0.08mv but each sample was tested in its main specs that is what you received in the card certification. The MC 20 spec was even lower 0.07mv Something that I can’t explain is why ( from 1948. ) in those years Ortofon was not a very well regarded cartridge designer/manufacturer by the " high-end " market even its great contributions in the cartridge development and not only LOMC cartridge bu MM/MI too. Seems to me that almost no one but only a few audiophiles as you or edgewear and some other gentlemans gave and give the real credit that Ortofon deserves in the cartridge market. When every one talks about: ZYX or Koetsu or Dynavector, Clearaudio, Lyra, etc, etc..but not Ortofon down there,. It was with the Anna and A90 when the people turn his head for Ortofon. I can’t remember, from its top designs, any Ortofon with a bad sound or " so so " performance. Its quality level always up to the task and a challenge for any other top cartridge out there. R. |
Raul, it’s true that Ortofon always had a somewhat mundane reputation, at least here in the West. The book released for their 100th Anniversary describes in detail their professional heritage and they did their business accordingly. No brand mystique or fancy marketing tactics. Their record cutting lathes were equal if not superior to the Neumann lathes, but didn’t sell as well mostly resulting from licensing agreements and other business reasons. Their tonearms and SPU cartridges were also broadcasting industry standards, in direct competition with EMT. Again the EMT products were generally more succesful, perhaps because Ortofon never produced a dedicated turntable. In the 70’s they became a household name for low priced MM cartridges, competing with companies like Grado. In the 80’s when digital took over, they managed to be very succesful in the DJ crowd. This market position probably didn’t sit well with a high end reputation, even when such products were just as much part of their portfolio (like the ’000’ series discussed here). The new management made the decision to put more emphasis on the expensive high end products, which has changed the reputation amongst audiophiles. It has to be said that the situation in Japan was very different, where they had always been one of the most highly regarded European brands, especially for the SPU cartridges. |
It was with the Anna and A90 when the people turn his head for Ortofon. It depends; in my country Ortofon in the 70s-80s 90s has always been appreciated for its products and sold a lot, even the x000 models. With the early 2000s many brands took over the sales for hi-end models but Ortofon it survives well especially with models accessible to all. I have two MC 30 as I wrote but I use one of them without the body; the sound is much better without a body; as it happened in the 80's when I extracted the body of a Dynavector 10x4 the leap forward in terms of quality and freshness in the sound was immediately noticeable. If it were possible and easy I would like to listen to all my cartridges without the body |
