Ortofon - Quintet Bronze MC Phono Cartridge

Where the Quintet range changes character: output drops, impedance drops, and the diamond becomes a nude Fine Line.

Every Quintet shares the same 9g body with a threaded aluminium frame, neodymium magnets, the same 15 µm/mN compliance, the same 2.1 to 2.5g tracking force window with 2.3g recommended, the same 20 to 25kHz frequency range and the same minimum load of 20 ohms. Ortofon designs the internal impedance deliberately low so the cartridge is forgiving about phono stage loading, and the practical consequence is that moving up the range never means relearning setup.

The Bronze is the inflection point. Output falls to 0.3mV and internal impedance to 5 ohms, frequency response tightens to ±1.5dB, and the diamond becomes a nude Fine Line at r/R 8/40 µm. Ortofon’s claim for it is specific: the slim profile of the Fine Line will track even the highest frequency information, and its larger footprint reduces both distortion and record wear.

The coil wire changes too, to pure four-nines copper. Tracking ability rises to 80 µm. The one practical consequence to plan for is that 0.3mV output means a phono stage with genuine moving coil gain is now essential — a moving magnet input with a step-up will not do the job on its own.

Features

• Nude Fine Line diamond, r/R 8/40 µm
• Coils wound from pure four-nines copper
• 0.3mV output; internal impedance drops to 5 ohms
• 80 µm tracking ability; frequency response tightened to ±1.5dB
• Neodymium magnets
• 9g body, 2.3g recommended tracking force, load above 20 ohms
• Needs a phono stage with genuine moving coil gain

Specifications

• Type: Moving coil stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 0.3mV at 1kHz, 5cm/sec
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: Less than 1.2dB
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: Greater than 23dB
• Channel Separation at 15kHz: Greater than 15dB (Ortofon Quintet brochure)
• Frequency Range: 20Hz – 25,000Hz at −3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, ±1.5dB
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 80 µm
• Compliance: 15 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Stylus Type: Nude Fine Line
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 8/40 µm
• Cantilever: Not published by Ortofon anywhere. Its UK distributor states aluminium tube
• Coil Wire: Pure four-nines copper
• Magnets: Neodymium
• Tracking Force Range: 2.1 – 2.5g
• Recommended Tracking Force: 2.3g
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 5 Ω
• Recommended Load Impedance: Greater than 20 Ω
• Cartridge Body Material: Ortofon contradicts itself on this. The specification tables on both its sites say PC, the Quintet Bronze product prose says a special ABS thermoplastic, Ortofon’s own Quintet brochure says ABS with aluminium, and its UK distributor describes a lightweight ABS body around an aluminium core. We are not going to state one as fact. The contradiction is at its sharpest on this model, whose own page has a specification table saying PC directly above prose saying ABS
• Colour: Bronze
• Cartridge Weight: 9g
• Mounting: Half inch top mount with threaded holes; 5mm or 7mm screws supplied
• 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: Cantilever material; channel separation at 15kHz on the product page; recommended tonearm effective mass
• Note: Trade press has reported the newer MC X series as replacing the Quintet range. Ortofon has published no such statement, and the Quintet models remain listed, priced and in stock on Ortofon’s own sites and in its Exchange Service table. The nearest thing to a manufacturer comment is an Ortofon engineer telling a magazine that the MC X takes performance to another level over the old Quintet range — a performance comparison, not a discontinuation