{"product_id":"ortofon-mc-cadenza-black-phono-cartridge","title":"Ortofon - MC Cadenza Black Phono Cartridge","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe flagship Cadenza: a nude Shibata on a very thin boron cantilever, with the Wide Range Damping system shared with Ortofon’s far dearer Exclusive cartridges.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery Cadenza shares a 10.7g body built from stainless steel and aluminium, a 5 ohm internal impedance and a motor system Ortofon describes as using cobalt-iron pole pieces with an improved armature winding process. From there the models diverge on three axes at once — diamond profile, cantilever material and coil wire — which is unusual, and it is why the steps between them are larger than the colour-coded naming suggests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Black tops the series with a nude Shibata diamond at r\/R 6\/50 µm on a very thin boron rod. Ortofon’s reasoning for the material is that the effective mass of the stylus-and-cantilever system is extremely low because boron is exceptionally stiff and even more lightweight than aluminium. Coils are Aucurum, Ortofon’s gold-plated 6NX copper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat sets it apart within the family is the Wide Range Damping system, which controls high and low frequency damping separately — technology Ortofon also applies to the MC Windfeld, MC A90, MC Anna, Xpression and MC A95, all of which cost considerably more. Ortofon describes the Black as high performing in detail, consistency and sound staging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo figures set it apart from its siblings in ways worth planning for. Compliance is 16 µm\/mN rather than the 12 of the rest of the range, so it wants a lighter tonearm than the other Cadenzas, and Ortofon does not spell that out. And its published loading guidance is simply greater than 10 ohms, where every other stereo Cadenza gets a bounded range — unhelpfully open-ended on the most expensive cartridge in the family, though it is consistent across all of Ortofon’s documentation, so not a transcription error. In practice you will want to experiment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eFeatures\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNude Shibata diamond, r\/R 6\/50 µm, on a very thin boron cantilever\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAucurum coil wire — Ortofon’s gold-plated 6NX copper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWide Range Damping system, shared with the MC Windfeld, A90, Anna, Xpression and A95\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrequency range to 60kHz at −3dB; 90 µm tracking ability\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBetter than 27dB channel separation and inside 0.8dB channel balance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e16 µm\/mN compliance — higher than the rest of the Cadenza range, so it wants a lighter arm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e10.7g; 2.3g recommended tracking force\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moving coil stereo cartridge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOutput Voltage:\u003c\/strong\u003e 330 µV (0.33mV) at 1kHz, 5cm\/sec\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChannel Balance at 1kHz:\u003c\/strong\u003e Less than 0.8dB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChannel Separation at 1kHz:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greater than 27dB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChannel Separation at 15kHz:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greater than 20dB, per Ortofon’s UK distributor. The row is not on Ortofon’s own product page\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20Hz – 60,000Hz at −3dB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrequency Response:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20Hz – 20kHz, +1.5 \/ 0dB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTracking Ability at 315Hz:\u003c\/strong\u003e 90 µm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompliance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 16 µm\/mN, dynamic lateral — note this is higher than the 12 µm\/mN of every other Cadenza, so this model suits a lighter-mass tonearm than its siblings\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStylus Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Nude Shibata diamond\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStylus Tip Radius:\u003c\/strong\u003e r\/R 6\/50 µm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCantilever:\u003c\/strong\u003e Boron\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCoil Wire:\u003c\/strong\u003e Aucurum — Ortofon’s gold-plated 6NX copper wire\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWide Range Damping:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fitted. Controls high and low frequency damping separately, using the system Ortofon also applies to the MC Windfeld, MC A90, MC Anna, Xpression and MC A95\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTracking Force Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.0 – 2.5g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRecommended Tracking Force:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.3g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTracking Angle:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20°\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInternal Impedance, DC Resistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5 Ω\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRecommended Load Impedance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Greater than 10 Ω. This is Ortofon’s published figure and it is consistent across all its documentation, but it is unhelpfully open-ended compared with the bounded 50 to 200 or 50 to 500 ohm windows given for the rest of the range. Expect to experiment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCartridge Body Material:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stainless steel and aluminium\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black \/ Black\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCartridge Weight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10.7g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStylus Replacement:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon states plainly that the styli in moving coil cartridges are non-replaceable, so there is no swap-in stylus for this cartridge. What Ortofon runs instead is an Exchange Service through participating authorised dealers: a worn or damaged MC cartridge — any condition, bought anywhere — is taken in at 25% of the current list price against the purchase of a new Ortofon cartridge of equivalent or better model. Note that is a credit against a new purchase, not a repair price. Ortofon also runs a separate Repair Service for out-of-warranty MC cartridges\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTonearm Matching:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon publishes no recommended tonearm effective mass for this model. Its general guidance is that an arm of 10g effective mass or below counts as low mass and 11 to 25g as moderate mass, that high mass requires low compliance and vice versa, and that the target is a cartridge and arm system resonance between 7 and 12Hz, with 10Hz recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStylus Life:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon rates its styli at up to 1000 hours with proper care. This is a general figure across the range rather than a per-model specification\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon A\/S of Nakskov, Denmark. Ortofon states that all its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWarranty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon publishes no warranty period for its moving coil cartridges on its own site. Ortofon Inc. covers cartridges bought from an authorised US dealer for one year against defects in workmanship and materials, excluding expendable items\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNot Published:\u003c\/strong\u003e Channel separation at 15kHz on the product page; recommended tonearm effective mass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ortofon moved from boron to sapphire cantilevers across some models during a boron shortage around 2016. Current Ortofon documentation for the Cadenza Black states boron, which is what we have published, but if you are ever assessing a used or old-stock example it is worth verifying rather than assuming\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Ortofon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42647203479758,"sku":"5705796230147","price":3199.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0558\/5027\/0926\/files\/cad-blk.jpg?v=1716792458","url":"https:\/\/www.theingroove.com\/products\/ortofon-mc-cadenza-black-phono-cartridge","provider":"The 'In' Groove","version":"1.0","type":"link"}