Ortofon

The Ortofon MC Cadenza Black is a high-end moving coil (MC) phono cartridge designed for audiophiles who demand the highest level of performance from their vinyl playback system. This cartridge is the flagship model in Ortofon's Cadenza series, known for its superior sound quality, precise tracking, and exceptional build quality. It is engineered to deliver an accurate and detailed soundstage with a neutral and balanced tonal quality, making it suitable for a wide range of musical genres.

Key Features

• Stylus and Cantilever: The MC Cadenza Black features a Nude Shibata stylus mounted on a boron cantilever, providing excellent tracking ability and detail retrieval.
• Moving Coil Design: As a moving coil cartridge, it offers a lower output voltage and superior sound quality compared to moving magnet designs.
• High Purity Copper Wire: The internal coils are wound with Ortofon's Aucurum wire, which is a gold-plated high-purity copper wire, enhancing signal transmission and sound clarity.
• High Mass Housing: The cartridge body is made of stainless steel and aluminum, contributing to its robust build and resonance control.
• Magnetic System: The use of an optimized magnet system ensures minimal interference and maximum performance.
• Low Output Voltage: With an output of 0.3 mV, the MC Cadenza Black requires a high-gain phono stage but rewards with exceptional detail and dynamics.

Detailed Description

Stylus and Cantilever

The MC Cadenza Black is equipped with a Nude Shibata stylus, a design known for its fine tracing ability, especially in the high-frequency range. The Shibata stylus has a long and narrow contact area, which allows it to trace the grooves of a vinyl record with high precision, reducing distortion and enhancing the clarity of high-frequency sounds. The stylus is mounted on a boron cantilever, a material chosen for its lightweight and rigid properties, ensuring that the stylus remains stable and accurately follows the groove modulations.

Moving Coil Design

As a moving coil (MC) cartridge, the MC Cadenza Black differs from moving magnet (MM) cartridges in its operation. In an MC design, the coils that generate the audio signal are attached to the stylus, moving within a fixed magnetic field. This design allows for a much lighter and more responsive system, resulting in better transient response and more accurate sound reproduction. The downside is the lower output voltage (0.3 mV), which requires a compatible high-gain phono stage.

Internal Coils and Wiring

The internal coils of the MC Cadenza Black are wound with Aucurum wire, a type of high-purity copper wire that is gold-plated to enhance conductivity and reduce signal loss. This meticulous attention to detail in the wiring ensures that the signal generated by the stylus and cantilever is transmitted with minimal distortion, preserving the integrity of the audio signal from the groove of the record to the output stage of the phono preamplifier.

Cartridge Body and Housing

The cartridge body of the MC Cadenza Black is a combination of stainless steel and aluminum, chosen for their ability to control resonances and vibrations that can color the sound. The high mass of the housing helps to stabilize the cartridge during playback, reducing the potential for unwanted movement or resonance that could interfere with the stylus's ability to accurately track the record's groove. This robust construction contributes to the cartridge's ability to produce a clear and undistorted sound.

Magnetic System

The MC Cadenza Black features an optimized magnet system that is designed to provide a stable and interference-free magnetic field for the moving coils. This system is crucial for maintaining the accuracy of the signal generated by the stylus, ensuring that the resulting audio output is as faithful to the original recording as possible. The carefully designed magnet system also helps to minimize crosstalk between the channels, enhancing the stereo imaging and spatial accuracy of the playback.

Output Voltage and Load Impedance

With an output voltage of just 0.3 mV, the MC Cadenza Black requires a phono preamplifier with sufficient gain to amplify the signal to a usable level. However, this low output is a trade-off that results in a more refined and detailed sound. The recommended load impedance for the cartridge is greater than 10 ohms, which should be taken into consideration when pairing the cartridge with a phono preamplifier to ensure optimal performance.

Technical Specifications

Please read the recommendations for stylus and record care: Ortofon's HiFi FAQ