Ortofon
The oldest brand we stock and the name most vinyl listeners already trust. Cartridges spanning a first serious upgrade through to genuine high end, still made in Denmark.
About Ortofon
Quick Access
A century of Ortofon, from film sound to cartridges
Ortofon started in 1918 as Fonofilm Industri, working on sound for cinema. The move into record playback came later, and in 1948 the company produced the first commercially available moving coil cartridge. The MC principle is now used by most high-end cartridge makers, and it originated here.
That continuity is the point. Very few audio companies have been making the same category of product, in the same country, for more than a hundred years. It shows in how the range is laid out: methodically, with each step doing one identifiable thing, and with replacement styli and parts supported far longer than the industry norm.
Manufacturing is still in Nakskov. Cartridge assembly is close work, done by hand under magnification, and Ortofon train their own assemblers rather than buying finished generators in. Alongside that hand work sits Selective Laser Melting, a process Ortofon pioneered for cartridge bodies, welding fine particles of titanium or steel layer by layer into a single piece with no joints and precisely controlled density. The stylus profiles are their own too, including the Replicant 100, a line contact diamond cut to approximate the shape of the lathe stylus that cut the record in the first place.
Ortofon also make headshells, headshell leads, step-up transformers, alignment tools and cleaning products, which between them cover most of what sits around a cartridge.
Shop by Range
Ortofon split into moving magnet and moving coil before anything else, and that decision comes before any question of level. 2M is the moving magnet range, works with any phono stage, and the stylus can be changed by the owner. Quintet, Cadenza, MC and SPU are moving coil, need a phono stage that supports them, and are retipped by Ortofon.
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£357.50Ex. VATThe Ortofon MC X20 Moving Coil Cartridge delivers exceptional vinyl playback with a nude elliptical diamond stylus, pure silver coils, and a newly developed magnet system. Its honeycomb-structured stainless-steel frame ensures stability, while precision rubber damping reduces distortion for accurate sound. Finished with PVD treatment, the MC X20 combines premium audio performance with sleek design, making it a perfect match for music lovers seeking depth, clarity, and refined tonearm integration. -
£382.50Ex. VAT
Ortofon's MC Quintet Blue is a very homogeneous cartridge whose sound image will tend to more smooth reproduction compared to Quintet Red and moderate dynamic strength compared to Quintet Bronze. It features a Nude Elliptical diamond mounted on an aluminium cantilever. The Quintet Blue will bring more space, depth and detail into the sound and is a very good choice for any kind of music, especially rhythmic.
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£415.83Ex. VAT
Ortofon's 2M Black is a testament to the quality and engineering that Ortofon's engineers produce for the best cartridges. It is for this reason that the 2M Black is the flagship moving magnet cartridge offered by Ortofon. The tip of the 2M Black is a slim, highly polished Shibata diamond which exceeds the usual contact area in the grooves of a vinyl. By improving on the contact area, there is a notable increase in frequency reproduction to ensure the utmost detail and quality in the playback of your vinyls.
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£415.83Ex. VATThe new 2MR range of cartridges boasts all the features of the standard 2M range, but with a reduced ride height, making it compatible with popular tonearms and turntables that require a lower-profile cartridge.
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£499.17Ex. VATThe Ortofon MC X30 is a moving coil cartridge featuring a nude fine-line diamond stylus, high-purity silver coils, a MIM-moulded honeycomb stainless-steel body, and an optimised magnet system, delivering precise resolution and refined detail from vinyl. -
£520.83Ex. VATOrtofon's MC Quintet Bronze moves into the higher league of the Quintets. The slim profile of its Nude Fine Line diamond stylus will track even the highest frequency information, making it a must for discerning listeners. Additionally its larger footprint ensures reduced distortion and record wear. The sound will be very evenhanded with respect to all aspects. Classical music will be reproduced with power and open space around each of the instruments. All types of music will be conveyed with the highest accuracy, precision and dynamics.
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£582.50Ex. VATWith the Reference Bronze cable, Ortofon has combined three superior conductor materials: 4N PCUHD (Pure Copper Ultra High Durability), 4N HiFC (High-performance pure copper), and 4N OFC (Oxygen-free copper), to deliver an astonishing wide-range, clear, and neutral sound.
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£699.00Inc. VATWhat sets the Reference Bronze XLR apart is its unique construction. With two bundles, each consisting of four different kinds of conductors, running in parallel and asymmetrically oriented, this cable ensures an unparalleled audio quality that will satisfy even the most discerning listener. The result is a pristine and accurate sound reproduction, allowing for a truly immersive listening experience.
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£582.50Ex. VATBoasting a sophisticated electrical design, the ST-7 utilises high-quality internal wires and gold-plated terminals for optimum signal transmission. The unique sandwich winding structure of this transformer significantly improves the high-frequency response, resulting in a clear and open sound across the entire frequency range.
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£707.50Ex. VATOne of the key features of the Ortofon Black interconnect cable is its use of PCUHD (Pure Copper Ultra High Durability) combined with 6N High Purity Copper and 4N HiFC (High-performance pure copper) signal conductors. This combination results in a well-balanced, neutral, and precise sound.
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£849.00Inc. VATEach cable in the new Reference series has its unique sonic expression, and the Reference Black stands out as the pinnacle of audio excellence. Its well-balanced, neutral, and precise sound is unrivalled and makes it a must-have for anyone looking for the best audio experience.
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£729.17Ex. VATOrtofon's MC Quintet Black is the best example of Quintet’s overall excellence. The new MC Quintet Black S model is graced with Shibata stylus on the Sapphire cantilever. Sapphire is one of the best cantilever options that provides an excellent mechanical pulse transfer from the stylus to the coil system. The Quintet Black S produces detailed and pure reproduction though-out the spectrum, volume and soundstage. The Quintet Black S will be unfettered by musical genre and will give the closest approach within the Quintet Series to Ortofon’s true accuracy in sound.
