Ortofon MC Diamond

Ortofon MC Diamond

The Ortofon MC Diamond occupies a position at the absolute summit of Ortofon's moving coil range — a cartridge built without compromise from a solid diamond cantilever, the Ortofon Replicant 100 stylus, and a body machined from SLM Titanium. It is, in Ortofon's own words, "recorded music like you've never heard it before." This is the cartridge for the listener who has exhausted every other option and wants to know exactly what their records contain.

Ortofon Replicant 100 Diamond Stylus

The MC Diamond uses the Ortofon Replicant 100 — a Line Contact type stylus distinguished by a narrow and long contact surface that is as close as possible to the original cutting stylus used to make the record. Ortofon state this ensures the most accurate reproduction, lowest distortion, and extended frequency range. The stylus tip radius is 5/100 µm.

Solid Diamond Cantilever

The cantilever is machined from solid diamond — a material chosen for its extraordinary stiffness-to-mass ratio. A diamond cantilever transmits stylus motion to the generator with minimal energy loss and colouration of its own, allowing the generator to work from the most faithful possible representation of the groove signal. It is the cantilever material used at the very top of the cartridge market, and the MC Diamond applies it without reservation.

Wide Range Damping System

For the MC Diamond, Ortofon re-engineered their Wide Range Damping System (WRD) to include an enhanced rubber suspension developed in-house, specially developed to ensure exceptional tracking, and virtually eliminates distortions and resonance. This feature allows for optimal interaction between compliance and damping, improved stability and playback, and unparalleled sound quality. The new rubber compound incorporates Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube technology (MWCNT), which Ortofon state provides improved damping and enhances overall performance.

SLM Titanium Body

The cartridge body is constructed from SLM Titanium. The body is finished in silver and black and weighs 17.5 g.

High-Purity Copper Coil Wire

The MC Diamond's generator uses High-Purity Copper Coil Wire throughout — both the coil system and the coil wire material. Internal DC resistance is 6 Ohm.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The MC Diamond is for the listener who has arrived at the top of the market and wants the definitive answer to what moving coil technology can do. It outputs 0.2 mV and requires a recommended load impedance of greater than 10 Ohm. Those building towards this level will find the Ortofon MC Xpression and the Ortofon Windfeld Ti the natural steps immediately below it in the Ortofon range. For those earlier in their Ortofon journey, the Ortofon Cadenza Black represents the top of the Cadenza series.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind.

You are welcome to discuss the MC Diamond at our Norwich showroom, where Dave and Chris can help you establish whether your system is ready to get the best from it — and what ancillaries will allow it to perform as Ortofon intend.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.