Ortofon - Super OM 5E MM Phono Cartridge

The OM 5E’s stylus on a different generator — wider bandwidth from the same diamond.

The Super OM 5E is an unusual upgrade, because it does not change the stylus. It takes the same Stylus 5E with the same elliptical diamond at r/R 8/18 µm as the OM 5E below it, and changes the engine underneath instead.

Ortofon publishes 1k ohm internal impedance and 580mH inductance for the Super OM 5E against 750 ohms and 450mH for the OM 5E, and extends the frequency response from 20 to 20,000Hz out to 20 to 22,000Hz. Ortofon’s own copy also claims improved linearity and higher channel separation — but its published separation figure is 22dB at 1kHz and 15dB at 15kHz for both models, so we are not going to repeat the separation half of that claim as though it were a specification.

The signature of the OM body is the removable weight-plate in the mounting bracket. Ortofon’s own instruction: if your tonearm is a standard tonearm, just leave the weight-plate in place; if it is one of the low mass types, simply remove the weight and the cartridge drops to a mere 2.5g. That is a genuinely useful trick, and it is why the OM has stayed in the catalogue for so long — one cartridge covers arms that would otherwise need two.

As with the OM 5E, the body accepts the whole OM stylus ladder, so this is a platform rather than a terminus.

Features

• Same Stylus 5E and elliptical diamond as the OM 5E — the upgrade is in the generator
• Frequency response extended to 20 – 22,000Hz against the OM 5E’s 20 – 20,000Hz
• 1k Ω internal impedance and 580mH inductance
• 4mV output; 20 µm/mN compliance
• Removable weight-plate: 5g with it fitted, 2.5g without
• Accepts the full OM stylus family — 3E, 5E, 10, 20, 30, 40, 78 and D 25 M

Specifications

• Type: Moving magnet stereo cartridge, standard half-inch mount
• Output Voltage: 4mV at 1kHz, 5cm/sec
• Channel Balance at 1kHz: Ortofon publishes two different figures — 1.5dB on its web product page and 2dB in its own OM 5 series product sheet
• Channel Separation at 1kHz: 22dB
• Channel Separation at 15kHz: 15dB (Ortofon’s OM 5 series product sheet)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 22,000Hz, ±3dB
• Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 60 µm
• Compliance: 20 µm/mN, dynamic lateral
• Stylus Type: Elliptical
• Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 8/18 µm
• Tracking Force Range: 1.5 – 2.0g (15 – 20mN)
• Recommended Tracking Force: 1.75g (17.5mN)
• Tracking Angle: 20°
• Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 1k Ω
• Internal Inductance: 580mH
• Recommended Load Resistance: 47k Ω
• Recommended Load Capacitance: 200 – 500pF
• Colour: Black / Black
• Cartridge Weight: 5g with the extra weight-plate fitted; 2.5g without it
• Weight-Plate: The signature of the OM body is the removable weight-plate in the mounting bracket. Ortofon’s own instruction: if your tonearm is a standard tonearm, just leave the weight-plate in place; if it is one of the low mass types, simply remove the weight and the cartridge drops to a mere 2.5g. That is a genuinely useful trick, and it is why the OM has stayed in the catalogue for so long — one cartridge covers arms that would otherwise need two.
• Replacement Stylus: Stylus 5E — the same stylus as the OM 5E
• Interchangeable Styli: 3E, 5E, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 78, plus the D 25 M — Ortofon’s own published list. The stylus assembly pulls straight off, so the body is an upgrade platform rather than a dead end
• 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: Cantilever material; cartridge body material; coil system and coil wire material; an itemised box contents list
• Note: Ortofon’s marketing copy claims this model offers higher channel separation than the OM 5E, but Ortofon publishes the same 22dB and 15dB figures for both. The genuine, documented differences are the internal impedance, the inductance and the extended frequency response