Ortofon has debuted a new flagship MC cartridge called the MC Vertex at the High End Audio Fair in Vienna. The MC Vertex is built around Ortofon's new Vertex diamond. The stylus features a scan radius of 4 μm and a contact radius of 110 μm, creating a larger contact surface along the groove wall. With its specifications and price, the MC Vertex is positioned at the top end of the market.
According to the manufacturer, the design goal of the MC Vertex was more stable tracking, a more even pressure distribution, and less localized wear compared to more conventional stylus profiles. This geometry is also intended to ensure that the cartridge maintains more consistent contact with the groove during complex passages. At this level, the diamond profile is no insignificant detail. It directly influences tracking accuracy, groove wear, and how much information the cartridge can capture before the signal reaches the phono amplifier.
Solid diamond cantilever
The Vertex diamond is mounted on a laser-polished, solid diamond cantilever, which is one of the key details here. Diamond is extremely rigid and has very low mass, so the goal is to transfer mechanical energy from the stylus tip to the generator system with less bending, delay, or stored energy than with more conventional cantilever materials.
That is important because a cartridge is a mechanical-electrical converter. Before the electrical signal reaches the phono amplifier, the stylus and cantilever must accurately follow the groove and set the coil system in motion without causing problems themselves. Ortofon tries to keep that mechanical chain as short, rigid, and controlled as possible.
The housing and internal core are made of SLM titanium with a DLC coating. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) enables Ortofon to control the housing geometry, mass distribution, and internal structure with greater precision than conventional machining techniques. The goal is a rigid, mechanically stable cartridge housing that helps reduce unwanted resonance before it can affect signal transmission.
In the MC Vertex, Ortofon uses a sophisticated magnetic system with a non-magnetic armature. The purpose of this is to reduce moving mass and prevent unwanted magnetic interaction in the generator. This is combined with coils of very pure silver, with which Ortofon claims to achieve more stable and linear signal generation, improved transient behavior, and more accurate tracking across the entire audible frequency range.
 |
 |
Ortofon’s Wide Range Damping system is also part of the design. It uses a platinum disc placed between two dampers made of patented Ortofon rubber compounds. The goal is to control resonance across the entire audible frequency range without excessively damping the cartridge or limiting the dynamic response.
The manufacturer specifies an output voltage of 0.3 mV at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec., a channel separation of 30 dB at 1 kHz; a channel balance of 0.1 dB and a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz within ±1 dB. According to the designers, the MC Vertex has an internal impedance of 19 Ohms; lateral compliance of 9 μm/mN, a recommended tracking force of 2.5 grams; and a recommended load of more than 100 Ohms.
The MC Vertex is intended for reference turntables, tonearms, phono preamplifiers, and systems where the calibration is already of a very high standard. The Ortofon website lists a retail price of just under $15,000 for the MC Vertex.
