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Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue

Cartridge

Relative price

typical

Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

Cadenza mid-range; replacement for Kontrapunkt B.

Cobalt-iron pole pieces, improved winding process.

Stretching point into Cadenza tier.

Competition record

Assessed against 17 rivals across the sixty systems: 1 head-to-head won, 64 lost.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • bass control ×34
  • quietness at rest ×19
  • speed stability ×8
  • low-level clarity ×7
  • rhythmic grip ×3

Who it comes up against

van den Hul The Frog

20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

ebb and flow of dynamic shading easily discernibleEnjoy the Music (Rochlin) 2007

van den Hul The Crimson

15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Vertere Groove Runner X gives up bass control under the Characterful weighting.

quite forceful on transientsTAS — Crimson XGW Stradivarius

Goldring Eroica HX MC

4 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Hana EL MC

4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up bass control under the Anchored weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC

4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up speed stability under the Artisan weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

van den Hul MC One Special

2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.

With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G) gives up bass control under the Romantic weighting.

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Goldring Eroica LX MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Goldring Eroica LX MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Ortofon MC Quintet Black S

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Rega Nd3 MM

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Koil MC

1 lost · BBC Sound

Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up speed stability under the BBC Sound weighting.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

entry-level MC for those stepping up from AdiktCymbiosis dealer + Linn cartridge family overview

Goldring 1042 MM

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue takes the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Ortofon MC Cadenza Blue is the stronger cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

What the reviewers said

wide-range mid-tier Cadenza with high-grade FGS stylus Ortofon Cadenza family positioning· Spatial resolution
maximize detail retrieval... without skewing response Positive Feedback (Hoffman) 2018· Micro-dynamic resolution
space and blackness between notes Positive Feedback (Hoffman) 2018· Spatial naturalness
evenly balanced octave to octave Positive Feedback (Hoffman) 2018· Tonal consistency
texture of the strings Positive Feedback (Hoffman) 2018· Harmonic texture

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 71 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Harmonic texture 76 from listening evidence
  • Spatial naturalness 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Micro-dynamic resolution 82 from listening evidence
  • Tonal consistency 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv0.5
internal impedance ohm5.0
recommended load ohm20
tracking force g2.2/2.7
compliance dynamic um per mn18
weight g10.7
stylus profilenude FG70
cantilever materialruby
body materialextruded aluminium
notes