Ortofon - SPU Royal G MKII MC Phono Cartridge

An integrated cartridge and headshell in the classic SPU shell, carrying Ortofon’s Replicant 100 diamond and gold-plated silver coils.

SPU stands for stereo pick-up — Ortofon’s own explanation is that phono cartridges were called pick-ups in the 1950s and 1960s. It is Ortofon’s longest-running line, and it is not a conventional cartridge at all: the SPU is an integrated cartridge-and-headshell unit that bayonets onto the tonearm as a single piece. That is why this weighs 30g complete where a normal moving coil weighs eight to ten.

The Royal G MkII was released in 1998 to mark Ortofon’s 80th anniversary, and it is the most sophisticated diamond in the classic shell: a nude Ortofon Replicant 100 at r/R 5/100 µm, with gold-plated silver coils, in the traditional ground wood and resin composite body in shiny black.

Tracking force is 2.5 to 3.5g with 3.0g recommended, which is high by modern standards but actually low for an SPU — and Ortofon says so, crediting a modified damping system with enabling reduced tracking force while maintaining superior linearity. For comparison, the SPU Classic G MkII in the same shell wants 3.0 to 5.0g.

The setup requirement is the thing to get right. Thirty grams of cartridge-and-shell combined with 8 µm/mN compliance demands a high effective mass tonearm — this is emphatically not a cartridge to hang on a lightweight modern arm. Ortofon publishes no effective mass figure or arm requirement on this product’s own page, so anyone telling you it requires a specific arm length is inferring rather than quoting. What we can tell you is that Ortofon’s own AS-309R tonearm is offered with a heavy counterweight covering 26 to 38g of cartridge and shell and names the SPU series as compatible. If you are considering this, talk to us about your arm first.

Features

• An integrated cartridge and headshell unit — mounts to the tonearm as one piece
• Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, r/R 5/100 µm
• Gold-plated silver coils
• Classic ground wood and resin composite shell in shiny black
• Released in 1998 for Ortofon’s 80th anniversary
• 3.0g recommended tracking force — low for an SPU, thanks to a modified damping system
• 30g total weight, 8 µm/mN compliance — needs a high effective mass tonearm
• No built-in transformer; this is a bare low-output moving coil at 0.2mV

Specifications

• Type: Moving coil cartridge in an integrated SPU headshell unit
• Output Voltage: 0.2mV at 1kHz, 5cm/sec
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: 1dB
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: 25dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, published by Ortofon as 1.5 / −0dB. We have reproduced that verbatim; the row’s formatting is broken on Ortofon’s own page and a one-sided tolerance is unusual
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 60 µm
• Compliance: 8 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Stylus Type: Nude Ortofon Replicant 100
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 5/100 µm
• Coil Wire: Gold-plated silver
• Tracking Force Range: 2.5 – 3.5g (25 – 35mN)
• Recommended Tracking Force: 3.0g (30mN)
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 7 Ω
• Recommended Load Impedance: 100 Ω
• Built-in Transformer: None. A step-up transformer is built into Ortofon’s T-designated SPUs, such as the GTX S, not into a G model. This cartridge’s 0.2mV output and 7 ohm impedance are those of a bare low-output moving coil and it needs a proper MC phono stage or step-up
• Body Material: Ground wood and resin composite
• Colour: Shiny black
• Total Weight: 30g including the integrated headshell
• Tonearm Requirement: Ortofon publishes no effective mass figure, arm length recommendation or SPU-specific arm requirement for this cartridge. What it does publish is that its own AS-309R arm — 11g effective mass, 323.5mm effective length — is offered with a heavy counterweight covering 26 to 38g of cartridge and shell, and names the SPU series among compatible cartridges. Any claim that this cartridge requires a 12-inch arm specifically is inference rather than an Ortofon specification
• Stylus Replacement: SPU cartridges are excluded from Ortofon’s standard MC Exchange Service. Ortofon states that for a damaged or out-of-warranty SPU it provides a separate Special Repair Service instead
• 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: Channel separation at 15kHz; frequency range; tonearm effective mass requirement; what the letters G, A, N, E, T and GM designate in SPU model names — Ortofon defines none of them anywhere on its current site; what the MkII revision consists of, for which Ortofon publishes no changelog
• Note: Two things worth knowing. First, Ortofon contradicts itself on when the SPU was introduced: its SPU series collection page says 1958 and describes continuous production since then, while its own explainer page says the SPU launched in 1960. The commonly cited 1959 appears on neither. Second, Ortofon now presents the Royal G MkII as a historical product on its main site with no price, while its US site still lists it as awaiting stock. Please check availability with us before ordering rather than assuming it is in current production