Ortofon - MC Cadenza Blue Phono Cartridge

The Cadenza that changes cantilever rather than just diamond: a nude FG 70 profile on a very thin ruby cantilever.

Every 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.

The Blue is the series’ value inflection point, and the first model where the cantilever material changes. Ortofon pairs a nude FG 70 stylus with a very thin ruby cantilever, keeping the 6NX pure silver coils of the Red below it. Ortofon’s description is that the Cadenza Blue is true to the music with tremendous clarity.

The FG 70 profile runs r/R 6/70 µm — a much narrower minor radius and a far longer major radius than the Red’s Fine Line, and that geometry is what buys the extra resolution. Response tightens to +2/−1dB.

One point worth stating plainly rather than letting buyers assume otherwise: at 500 µV the Blue has the highest output in the entire Cadenza range, higher than the flagship Black. Output does not fall as you climb this ladder. Loading tightens to 50 to 200 ohms.

Features

• Nude FG 70 diamond, r/R 6/70 µm, on a very thin ruby cantilever
• Coils wound from 6NX (99.9999%) pure silver wire
• 500 µV output — the highest in the Cadenza range
• Frequency range to 50kHz at −3dB; response +2/−1dB
• Stainless steel and aluminium body; cobalt-iron pole pieces
• 50 to 200 ohm recommended load; 10.7g

Specifications

• Type: Moving coil stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 500 µV (0.5mV) at 1kHz, 5cm/sec — the highest in the Cadenza range
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: Less than 1.2dB
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: Greater than 23dB
• Channel Separation at 15kHz: Greater than 15dB (Ortofon Cadenza brochure)
• Frequency Range: 20Hz – 50,000Hz at −3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, +2 / −1dB
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 80 µm
• Compliance: 12 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Stylus Type: Nude FG 70 on ruby cantilever
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 6/70 µm
• Cantilever: Ruby — Ortofon describes it as a very thin ruby cantilever
• Coil Wire: 6NX (99.9999%) pure silver
• Motor System: Cobalt-iron pole pieces with Ortofon’s improved armature winding process
• Tracking Force Range: 2.2 – 2.7g
• Recommended Tracking Force: 2.5g
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 5 Ω
• Recommended Load Impedance: 50 – 200 Ω
• Cartridge Body Material: Stainless steel and aluminium
• Colour: Blue / Black
• Cartridge Weight: 10.7g
• Stylus Replacement: 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
• Tonearm Matching: 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
• Stylus Life: 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
• Origin: Ortofon A/S of Nakskov, Denmark. Ortofon states that all its cartridges are designed and crafted in Denmark
• Warranty: 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
• Not Published: A discrete coil wire specification row on Ortofon’s US page — the 6NX silver figure appears in prose; channel separation at 15kHz on the product page; recommended tonearm effective mass