Ortofon - Concorde 5E MM Phono Cartridge

The Concorde body at entry-level money, with an elliptical diamond and the whole OM stylus ladder ahead of it.

The Concorde 5 series arrived in 2025 and answers an obvious gap: the iconic Concorde silhouette with its integrated headshell, at genuinely entry-level money. Ortofon positions it just below the premium Concorde Music series, built around the award-winning Concorde MkI design.

It carries an elliptical diamond at r/R 8/18 µm on an aluminium cantilever, 4mV output, 20 µm/mN compliance and a 750 ohm generator, in a polymer and brass body. Like every Concorde it goes onto any S-shaped bayonet arm with no tools, no screws and no alignment, and comes with a stylus brush and an anti-overtightening rubber ring.

The detail that matters most here is the stylus ladder. Ortofon states the Concorde 5 models are fully compatible with the Stylus 5S, 5E, 10, 20, 30 and 40 — that is the OM stylus family, so this body can carry a nude elliptical, a nude Fine Line or a nude van den Hul profile later without buying another cartridge. For a body this affordable that is an unusually long upgrade path. Start with the elliptical tip you have and move up when you are ready.

Track it at 1.8g into 47k ohms. Note that Ortofon publishes channel balance and separation for this series as inequalities rather than point values — better than 20dB separation, within 2dB balance — which we have reproduced as written rather than converting.

Features

• Integrated cartridge and headshell — fits any bayonet S-shaped tonearm with no tools
• Elliptical diamond, r/R 8/18 µm, on an aluminium cantilever
• 4mV output; 750 Ω generator; 20 µm/mN compliance
• Compatible with the Stylus 5S, 5E, 10, 20, 30 and 40 — the full OM upgrade ladder
• Polymer and brass body
• Stylus brush and anti-overtightening rubber ring supplied
• Sits just below the premium Concorde Music series

Specifications

• Type: Moving magnet stereo cartridge with integrated headshell
• Series: Concorde 5, introduced 2025, based on the Concorde MkI design
• Mounting: Bayonet / SME connector, integrated headshell. Fits S-shaped tonearms; no tools required
• Output Voltage: 4mV at 1kHz, 5cm/sec
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: Less than 2dB
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: Greater than 20dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, ±3dB
• Compliance: 20 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Stylus Type: Elliptical diamond
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 8/18 µm
• Stylus Suspension: Ortofon proprietary
• Cantilever: Aluminium
• Coil System: Quad coils
• Coil Wire: OFC
• Recommended Tracking Force: 1.8g
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 750 Ω
• Recommended Load Resistance: 47k Ω
• Recommended Load Capacitance: 200 – 500pF (Ortofon’s product sheet; the figure is omitted from its web pages)
• Cartridge Body Material: Polymer and brass
• Colour: Black
• Total Weight: Ortofon publishes two figures: 18.5g on both of its websites and 18g in its own Concorde 5 series product sheet. We have quoted the websites, which agree with each other
• Compatible Styli: Ortofon states the Concorde 5 models are fully compatible with the Stylus 5S, 5E, 10, 20, 30 and 40 — that is the OM stylus family, so this body can carry a nude elliptical, a nude Fine Line or a nude van den Hul profile later without buying another cartridge. For a body this affordable that is an unusually long upgrade path
• In the Box: Stylus brush and a rubber ring, which prevents overtightening and secures the fit to the arm
• Cleaning: Ortofon does not recommend solvents of any kind for cleaning either the record surface or the stylus, warning that they may damage the stylus cement and that interior parts of the cartridge can be seriously affected by solvent intrusion. Ortofon states that its warranty will not be valid where such treatment has caused a cartridge to malfunction. Use a dry fibre stylus brush, drawn from the rear of the cartridge forward toward the tip
• Origin: Not published. Ortofon states elsewhere that its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark, but publishes no country of manufacture on this product
• Warranty: Ortofon’s own webshop terms specify a two-year limited warranty against defects in workmanship and materials. Ortofon Inc. covers cartridges bought from an authorised US dealer for one year, excluding expendable items. A US dealer purchase falls under the one-year terms
• Not Published: Channel separation at 15kHz; frequency range as distinct from the response window; tracking ability at 315Hz; tracking force range; tracking angle, which Ortofon publishes for its other cartridges but not for the Concorde 5 series; internal inductance; country of manufacture
• Note: Ortofon nowhere states in words that the Concorde 5 uses the OM series generator. The shared 750 ohm impedance, 4mV output, 20 µm/mN compliance and — decisively — the shared 5S/5E/10/20/30/40 stylus family make the relationship clear, but we are reporting the shared figures rather than making a claim Ortofon has not made