Ortofon

The Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is a high-end moving coil (MC) phono cartridge, designed for audiophiles seeking detailed and dynamic sound reproduction from their vinyl records. Known for its precise engineering and exceptional sound quality, the Cadenza Blue is part of Ortofon's Cadenza series, which aims to deliver a natural and engaging listening experience. This cartridge combines advanced materials and meticulous craftsmanship to ensure optimal performance, making it a favored choice among serious vinyl enthusiasts.

Key Features

• Optimized Sound Reproduction: The MC Cadenza Blue offers a balanced and neutral sound profile with a touch of warmth, ensuring that every detail in the music is faithfully reproduced.
• Fine Line Stylus: The cartridge is equipped with a nude fine line stylus, which provides excellent tracking and minimal groove wear, leading to extended record life and superior audio performance.
• Advanced Coil Technology: Utilizes Aucurum coils, made from gold-plated, 6NX oxygen-free copper (OFC), ensuring minimal signal loss and enhanced audio clarity.
• High Purity Materials: The cartridge body is made from a combination of aluminum and resin, offering rigidity and vibration dampening, which contributes to a cleaner sound.
• Precision Engineered: Designed with meticulous attention to detail, the Cadenza Blue is engineered for optimal performance in high-end audio systems.

Detailed Description

Sound Reproduction

The MC Cadenza Blue is engineered to deliver a sound that is both neutral and detailed, with a slight warmth that enhances the overall listening experience. The cartridge's ability to reproduce high frequencies with clarity and accuracy is one of its standout features, making it suitable for a wide range of music genres. Its tonal balance ensures that no particular frequency range is exaggerated, allowing for a more natural sound.

Stylus and Tracking Ability

At the core of the Cadenza Blue's performance is its nude fine line stylus. The fine line design enables the stylus to make better contact with the record groove, which translates to improved tracking accuracy and reduced distortion. This also means that the stylus can retrieve more information from the grooves, resulting in higher resolution and better detail retrieval. The fine line stylus is particularly beneficial for high-frequency reproduction, contributing to the cartridge's ability to render music with exceptional clarity.

Coil and Magnet System

The Cadenza Blue features Aucurum coils, which are made from 6NX oxygen-free copper (OFC) that has been gold-plated. This choice of material minimizes electrical resistance and ensures that the signal transmitted from the stylus to the phono stage is as pure as possible. The high-purity copper used in the coils is known for its superior conductivity, while the gold plating provides additional protection against oxidation, maintaining the integrity of the signal over time. The magnet system is also finely tuned to work in conjunction with these coils, resulting in a highly efficient and powerful cartridge.

Cartridge Body Construction

The body of the Cadenza Blue is constructed from a combination of aluminum and a special resin. This hybrid construction offers a balance of rigidity and damping, which is critical for minimizing unwanted resonances that can color the sound. The aluminum provides structural strength, ensuring that the cartridge remains stable during playback, while the resin helps to absorb vibrations that could otherwise introduce noise and distortion into the audio signal. This design philosophy underscores Ortofon's commitment to delivering the highest possible sound quality.

Installation and Compatibility

The MC Cadenza Blue is designed to be compatible with a wide range of high-end tonearms. Its standard mount and weight make it easy to install on most turntables, while its relatively high output voltage for an MC cartridge means that it can be used with a variety of phono stages without requiring a step-up transformer. The cartridge's tracking force range is also broad enough to allow for fine-tuning, ensuring optimal performance across different setups.

Technical Specifications

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