Ortofon MC Xpression

Ortofon MC Xpression

It is a cartridge for the listener who understands that the signal path begins at the stylus tip, and who wants every element of that path to be as transparent as the state of the art allows.

Selective Laser Melting Body

The MC Xpression's body is constructed using Selective Laser Melting — a process that welds fine particles of material together layer by layer to construct a one-piece body devoid of extraneous material, allowing precise control of density for extremely high internal damping. Each body is cosmetically unique and will show small dimples or lines under close examination.

Wide Range Damping System

Ortofon's patented Wide Range Damping (WRD) system sandwiches a small, heavy platinum disc between two rubber absorbers with different properties, ensuring exceptional tracking performance and perfect damping through the entire frequency spectrum.

Field Stabilizing Element

A small cylinder of conductive material — the Field Stabilizing Element (FSE) — is placed inside the neodymium magnet system to keep the force field stable regardless of armature movement, improving channel separation and minimising dynamic distortion and intermodulation.

Replicant 100 Stylus on Boron Cantilever

The Ortofon Replicant 100 is an ultra-fine, extra-polished nude stylus whose shape is as close as possible to the original cutting needle. It is fitted at a vertical angle of 23 degrees and has an extraordinarily large vertical contact surface despite its minimal radius of rounding. The Boron cantilever, combined with the Replicant 100 diamond, provides low moving mass with an extremely high degree of rigidity.

Aucurum Coils and Silver Internal Wiring

The generator uses Aucurum coils — gold-plated, 6NX oxygen-free copper — allowing zero-loss transmission of the diamond's movements via the Boron cantilever. Internal wiring between the generator and the standard headshell connector is ultrahigh purity silver throughout.

Neodymium Magnet System

The MC Xpression uses an extremely strong, compact neodymium magnet system based on the designs used in the MC Windfeld and MC A90. Its minimal dimensions make the generator system both compact and lighter.

TPE Bottom Cover and Standard Headshell Connector

The bottom cover is constructed from a proprietary Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) material, chosen for its extremely high damping characteristics. The standard headshell connector provides a direct connection between generator and tonearm — the height is identical to the SPU standard, making further VTA adjustments unnecessary, and the length ensures a proper match with SME-mount type tonearms.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

It rewards a system built without shortcuts. Those building towards this level will find the Ortofon Cadenza Black and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze the natural steps below it in the Ortofon range, while those ready to go further still should consider the Ortofon MC Diamond at the absolute top of the catalogue. For those earlier in their Ortofon journey, the Ortofon Quintet Bronze offers a well-considered entry into Ortofon moving coil performance.

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 Xpression at our Norwich showroom, where we can help you establish whether your system is ready to get the best from it and which 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.