THE HISTORY

Danish phono cartridge manufacturers Ortofon survived the waning dog days of the vinyl record industry, and have grown significantly during its comeback, establishing itself, along with Audio Technica, as the preeminent leader of the phono cartridge world over the past couple of decades. Like many of my favorite phono manufacturers, their roots go back generations – their first stereo phono cartridge arrived in 1959, almost immediately following the birth of stereo sound in 1957. This product was named simply Stereo Pick Up, and would soon become famously known as SPU, Ortofon’s professional broadcast quality moving coil cartridge that remains in production – and an unrivaled top-of-the-line listening experience – today, 65 years later.

While supplying the European professional broadcast market served as the backbone of the company through the 1960’s, as the 1970’s dawned, Ortofon began to pursue the home market more aggressively and compete for business stateside, introducing a more traditional range of moving magnet (technically moving iron) cartridges with user-replaceable styli. Compared to the SPU, which, as a low output moving coil cartridge, required the usage of a step-up transformer, and had to be mailed in to Ortofon for stylus retipping when worn, the new VMS (in Europe) and FF (in the states) families of cartridges offered a tremendous improvement in practicality and accessibility, allowing the company to grow its commercial appeal.

GROWING THE BUSINESS

In the second half of the decade, an opportunity would emerge that helped lay the blueprint for Ortofon’s growth strategy for decades to come. German turntable company Dual, facing increased competition from Japanese manufacturers Technics and CEC, was hungry to distinguish itself from the pack, and embraced a new shift in design philosophy, unveiling their Ultra Light Mass tonearm.

As explained in a 1979 Stereo Review article:

‘Most cartridges weigh between 5 and 8 grams… one could not hope to achieve Dual’s goal of an 8-gram total effective mass with a cartridge that weighed almost that much. Dual therefore joined forces with Ortofon in adapting the Danish manufacturer’s new LM cartridge design to Dual’s needs… The 506, like all the other current Dual models, is available with a factory-installed ULM cartridge’.

How do you sell more phono cartridges? Partnering with major turntable manufacturers to ensure your cartridges come pre-installed on a popular host of models, thus ‘sparing the user one of the most onerous and critical chores in setting up a music system’ is a good start! It was a simple but brilliant concept, and fast forward to today, you’ll find Ortofon cartridges pre-installed on a majority of new turntables. The OM series is a direct descendent of the Ortofon Dual cartridge, sharing both its sleek, slipper-like appearance and also its sound signature.

THE SOUND

In comparison to the phono cartridges we’ve reviewed previously, the Nagaoka MP-110 and Goldring G800, the Ortofon OM10 offers a starkly different sound signature. Perhaps it’s the cold Scandinavian climate (I kid), but the OM10 lacks some of the warmth that many associate with the vinyl experience, and which comes through with particular aplomb using the two aforementioned cartridges. I have seen some compare Ortofon cartridges to the sound of a CD, and while I don’t fully agree, they do offer a clean and crisp voicing along with a neutral and balanced presentation. It seems particularly well-suited to rhythmic instruments – providing bass that is strong and tight but never boomy, and a percussive quickness, but lead instruments can lack a touch of the color imparted by other cartridges. In my experience, it also tends to sound best with post-1980 recordings.

The OM cartridges include a quality bonded elliptical as the stock stylus, either the OM5E or OM10 depending on the table it was purchased with. Although the OM10 has a very slight technical edge with a lower recommended tracking force, these two styli are virtually identical by all specs – a noticeable audible difference would surprise me, and pricing difference is minimal. Full disclosure, I have not heard an OM5E, but the OM10 is an effective tracker with low surface noise at just 1.5g of tracking force and profiles as a tough-to-top quality option at a very reasonable price of approximately $75. Having said that, it doesn’t quite unlock the full excitement that Ortofon cartridges are capable of.

THE UPGRADES

Of course, Ortofon offers no shortage of upgrade options to unlock that top tier sound, albeit at significant cost. The OM20 is the next step up, but costs over $200 for the nude elliptical upgrade. Audio Technica, whose AT95 cartridge rivals Ortofon’s models in terms of modern popularity, offers a similar nude elliptical stylus at the $100 pricepoint. The fineline/microline profiles are offered by each at $300 and $150 respectively – you get it, Ortofon isn’t necessarily a bargain. While I have not heard the OM20, I have compared the Ortofon Red vs Blue, an equal quality comparison from the similarly-voiced 2M series, and do find the nude elliptical Blue to be a dramatic upgrade – and it’s reasonable to expect the same when comparing the OM10 vs OM20. High-end OM30 and OM40 stylus options are also available as additional upgrades.

And unlike the 2M series, the OM cartridges do offer one upgrade option for us budget-conscious audiophiles. The Swiss stylus manufacturers Synton, who have been producing high quality, affordable nude elliptical styli marketed by EVG (in the states) and Black Diamond (in Europe), offer an elliptical nude stylus that serves as a phenomenal compromise, at around 25% of the cost of the genuine OM20 stylus. If my complaint about the original OM10 stylus is that it can sound a little flat, the Swiss nude stylus brings things to life with a punch and in-the-room presence, improving the dynamics.

While it Ortofon has ben shifting towards the 2M range as their leading cartridges, the OM comes stock on many new turntables from Pro-Ject, U-Turn and more, making it a safe bet that Ortofon, as well as aftermarket manufacturers like Synton and LP Gear, will continue to manufacture replacement styli for the OM cartridges for decades to come.

LISTENING SETUP
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon USB
Receiver: NAD 7175PE
Speakers: KEF C80
Albums Used: Wild Nothing – Indigo / Arlo Guthrie – Outlasting The Blues / Joe Val – One Morning In May / Joan Baez – One Day At a Time / Keith Sykes – Keith Sykes / Apple Jack – Contra Dance New England Style / Judy Collins – #3 / Jerry Lee Lewis – Sings The Country Music Hall of Fame Hits Vol 1 & 2