This product is no longer available to order and will not be coming back into stock.
In Stock products are those that are currently held in stock at our Oxfordshire warehouse. This stock status is updated regularly but is subject to change at very short notice.
Products that are Awaiting Stock are items that we would normally carry on stock at our Oxfordshire warehouse, but are currently unavailable. Chances are there is already more on the way, but if you would like a more accurate availability status please feel free to Contact Us.
Urgent order items are products that we do not normally carry on stock, but they are typically held on stock by our European suppliers. Depending on availability, we will seek to order these products quickly, when we have an enquiry. They can therefore be subject to quicker availability times than "Special Order" products.
Special Order items are those that are most often built to order. For these items, we tend to experience longer lead times as we negotiate them into the production line with our suppliers.
Exclusive products are sold only through one, or sometimes a very small number of dealers. As part of their commitment to the product’s exclusivity, they carry most of the available stock. To find out your best dealer for this product and to check its availability with them, click the ‘Recommended Dealers’ button under the product gallery on this page.
The MC Diamond model represents the highest echelon of moving coil cartridges. As its name suggests, the MC Diamond takes the original design but uses a Diamond cantilever that, in combination with the Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus, offers unrivalled transparency, speed and responsiveness in its information retrieval.
The housing of the MC Diamond is made using Ortofon’s pioneering Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technique. In production, fine particles of Titanium are welded together, layer-by-layer, to construct a single piece body devoid of unnecessary material. Using this technique, the density of the body can be precisely controlled, allowing for extremely high internal damping. The final result provides absolute freedom from resonance, allowing the MC diamond to perfectly suit a wide array of high-end tonearms.
Like previous Ortofon flagships, the MC Diamond makes use of the company’s best stylus profile. The specially polished Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus profile boasts a thin and light shape, with an impressively long vertical contact surface making it as close as possible to an original record cutting stylus as possible. This ensures the most accurate reproduction, lowest distortion, and extended frequency range.
The MC Diamond uses a solid Diamond Cantilever that, in combination with the Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, offers extreme transparency, speed, and responsiveness beyond any other combination. A solid Diamond cantilever provides the best possible interface between the stylus and armature, owing to its hardness and crystal structure. The improvements found in the use of a Diamond cantilever have redefined the boundaries of analog reproduction, presenting greater inner detail, subtlety, and depth like never before.
For the new MC Diamond cartridge, the Ortofon Wide Range Damping System (WRD) has been re-engineered to include an enhanced rubber suspension, specially developed in-house to ensure exceptional tracking and virtually eliminates distortion and resonance. This feature allows for optimal interaction between compliance and damping, improved stability and playback, and unparalleled sound quality. Created using a new rubber compound that utilises Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube technology (MWCNT), this new rubber suspension provides improved damping and enhances the overall performance of the MC Diamond cartridge. This WRD system offers more consistent movement with zero unwanted resonance, and thereby better stereo perspective and transient delineation.
The bottom section of the cartridge has been constructed from a special proprietary Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) material, which provides additional damping properties.
The MC Diamond focuses on providing music in its entirety without compromise, offering an ideal balance of precision and musicality with fine attention to both micro and macro dynamics combined with fluid tonality and texture. It is also made to be relatively easy to partner with a wide-range of tonearms and turntables.
With an output impedance of 6Ω and a low-to-medium output voltage of 0.2mV, the MC Diamond is easy to partner with most phono pre-amps and step-up transformers – including Ortofon’s own ST-80 SE model. It’s also an ideal match for high-mass, high-precision tonearms with gimbal bearing systems.
Ortofon MC Diamond
"With the MC Diamond, Ortofon has advanced the cartridge game once more."
Henley Says...
The Ortofon Exclusive Series is the pinnacle of phono cartridge engineering, featuring four flagship models that showcase the brand’s most advanced technologies and premium materials. These cartridges represent the culmination of Ortofon’s decades of research and innovation, incorporating cutting-edge processes like Selective Laser Melting and Field Stabilising Elements to achieve the highest standards of performance.
Meticulously crafted with no compromises, the Exclusive Series offers unparalleled sound reproduction, delivering remarkable detail, precision, and tonal balance. Whether you’re after flawless accuracy, supreme musicality, or ultra-low distortion, these cartridges set a new benchmark for high-end audio.
A standout at every high-end audio show, the Exclusive Series pairs effortlessly with any turntable of similar calibre, elevating your system to extraordinary heights. For those seeking the ultimate in sound quality and craftsmanship, the Ortofon Exclusive Series is the definitive choice.
If you are interested in the MC Diamond and would like to know more, or are building a high-end system and would like some advice, reach out to one of our expert team today.
Cartridge installation takes time and requires a level of understanding for the turntable/tonearm you are fiiting to. We've put together some comprehensive advice and size guides, available here, which will help you through each step of the procedure.
However, if at any time you feel uncomfortable with the task at hand, be sure to contact us or your local retailer for assistance.
Moving Coil (MC) cartridges generate an electrical signal by moving a tightly wound coil between two magnets. The movement is created by the cantilever, which houses the diamond stylus at its end and rides within the modulations of a record groove.
As opposed to Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges, MC designs are more difficult to produce - but often result in a more nuanced sound. For that reason, they are also often more expensive and boast better components than MM designs.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the powerful magnet inside, Moving Coil cartridges cannot be installed on turntables with magnetic (i.e. steel) platters.
For more on cartridge technology, read our informative article.
The Ortofon Moving Coil Cartridge Exchange Scheme is designed to help existing Ortofon customers update or renew their Moving Coil cartridge in a much more cost-effective way.
Through the scheme, Ortofon offer a trade-in value for the current range of moving coil cartridges, as well as an extensive list of discontinued models. Through this program, we are able to help customers upgrade, replace or slightly downgrade their current phono cartridge in a more economical way than usual.
