Ortofon are world renowned for sound reproduction, and as leaders within the cartridge industry. They have made a reputation for themselves as designers and builders of high-quality, robust, durable and reliable, cartridge and stylus manufacturers.
History of Ortofon Cartridges
Ortofon was founded in 1918 and soon became known for adding soundtrack to silent movies. In 1948 they moved onto developing the first moving coil cartridge. Since this development, Ortofon have progressed onto making over 300 different cartridges/ranges, with the Concorde MKII Series being their latest.
1979 was the year Ortofon created the well liked ‘Concorde’ design, of which they were honoured the Danish Industrial Design Award. In the mid 80s, Ortofon developed cartridges for Club, Hip-Hop and Scratch applications. They were designed for more rigorous use, and have a more stiff suspension making it possible to apply a high tracking force.
Today, Ortofon have established themselves as the leading brand of cartridges within the HiFi and DJ industry. They have earned this accolade through continued development, technology, design, quality and high level of craftsmanship.
What is a turntable cartridge?
Essentially, a turntable cartridge (stylus etc. whatever you would like to name it) is something that will sit in the groove to ‘read’ the wave within the groove wall. The task of the cartridge is to turn a mechanical movement into an electrical signal, making it a type of transducer; this is the source of the sound.
Main features of a cartridge
There are three main features of a cartridge:
Stylus – traces the record groove. It is the only part of the cartridge that has contact with the record/vinyl. A force is required to keep the stylus in the groove, so pressure is applied to ensure it does this. Additionally, the stylus needs to be extremely hardwearing or it will wear out very quickly, for this reason all of Ortofon’s styli’s are made from pure diamond! There are two styles... Spherical stylus for heavy back-cueing and scratching and Elliptical stylus for lighter back-cueing and scratching.
Cantilever – the part where the stylus is mounted. It is the area that sits between the stylus and the generating system, and is used to transmit the fast paced stylus movements. The weight of the cantilever needs to be precise, light enough to respond to movements yet heavy enough so that it does not buckle, bend or let vibration affect its ability.
Generating system – coverts the stylus and cantilever movement into electrical replicas of the sound enabling it to be amplified and reproduced by the music system into an output signal.
What makes a Concorde Cartridge stand out?
Ortofons cartridges are based on an analogue concept, which produces limitless sound. There is no resolution or sampling frequency limits, thus allowing you to listen to and enjoy the original music as the artist had intended. The Concorde design is able to entice the true soul of analogue recording and this new Concorde MKII range of carts provides extraordinary levels of sound reproduction.
The design is another feature that ensures the Concorde cartridge range stands out. The elegant slimline design allows for direct connection onto any tonearm (one of the main differences to an OM cartridge) that has a standard bayonet mount. It also has built-in overhang and vertical adjustment capabilities.
Following customer feedback Ortofon have made some modifications to this latest Concorde range. They have ensured the Concorde MKII series is colour coded to better assist when choosing the right cartridge for your needs. Additionally, graphics have been used to identify each cart alongside the colour coding. The cartridge shape has changed slightly in that there is a larger stylus tip with angled cut, opened stylus view cut out, a more refined handle and split lines. The finger lift has also been modified to provide a wider grip area, grip texture, unbroken metal ring, tapered shape and has the flexibility of being replaced to allow for personalisation. Finally, there is a new stylus tip which is larger, more robust, easier to grip and manage, improved fix by metal spring, tactile feedback of correct mount and a big stylus viewing cut out.
| Announcing the New Concorde Generation |
What is in the new Ortofon Concorde MKII Cartridge range?
The new Ortofon Cartridge range contains five newly named carts; Concorde Mix, Concorde DJ, Concorde Club, Concorde Scratch and Concorde Digital.
Ortofon Concorde Mix
The Concorde Mix is mostly suited for beginners. It has a spherical stylus, solid cantilever, is durable, provides high sound quality, 6mV output, good tracking (3g), 20-20,000Hz frequency range and is great for scratch and back-cueing. The Mix cartridge is good value for money.
Ortofon Concorde DJ
The Concorde DJ is a good all-round cartridge suitable for all styles of music. This also boasts a spherical stylus, balanced cantilever, excellent rigidity, good tracking (4g), 6mV output and 20-20,000Hz frequency range. Again, this is ideal for backcueing and scratch, as well as providing accurate sound reproduction, fantastic groove handling and low record wear.
Ortofon Concorde Club
The Concorde Club is, as the name indicates, ideal for Club DJs. This cart has an Elliptical shaped stylus which provides intricate sound quality as it fits better within the groove, and has more area contact. It has a 3g tracking force and an impressive 8mV output voltage, which produces clearer sound, and is less likely to have feedback within a live environment. The frequency ranges from 20-20,000Hz. Due to its impressive components it can be used for digital functions, thanks to its sound quality and its ability to extract every last detail.
Ortofon Concorde Scratch
The Concorde Scratch is ideal for optimal Scratch performance. The Scratch has a Spherical type styli, a 4g tracking force, 20-18,000Hz frequency range and a huge 10mV output, which is ideal for all music, especially those with deep base frequencies.
Ortofon Concorde Digital
The Concorde Digital is the red colour coded cart. It is most suited to timecoded vinyl playback for DVS (Digital Vinyl Systems). This said, thanks to its high output voltage (10mV) and exceptional quality of sound it can be used with traditional vinyl. Another advantage of the increased output is that it maximises the signal-to-noise ratio which results in better reading of the timecode signal. The type of stylus on the Concorde Digital is spherical and the frequency range is between 20-18,000Hz. Errors in the understanding of the timecode signal is minimised and the timecoded vinyl records last longer thanks to the reduced reproduction of frequencies where crackle and vinyl wear occur.
Overall
As you can see the carts within this range have been carefully designed and well thought through. There is at least one option to suit a user’s requirement, and the quality of each product has definitely not been compromised. The Concorde MKII range looks good, of high quality and most importantly produces that all important clear precise sound, exactly what users are looking for.
Share This Article