MC Diamond

Exclusive Series

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. This state-of-the-art product, representative of numerous Ortofon design elements and ideas, is truly exemplary of the highest degree of performance possible in contemporary analogue playback technology.

Titanium Structure
The housing of the MC Diamond is made using Ortofon’s pioneering 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.

The finest technologies and material choices
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. However, thanks to the technical advances made in developing the range of Ortofon flagship MC cartridges, the MC Diamond sees the stylus mounted onto a diamond cantilever; a feature that redefines the boundaries of analogue 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 utilizes Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube technology (MWCNT), this new rubber suspension provides improved damping and enhances the overall performance of the MC Diamond cartridge. This Wide Range Damping (WRD) system offers more consistent movement with zero unwanted resonance, and thereby better stereo perspective and transient delineation.

The best of the best

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.  

Head-Shell shown for illustration purposes only and not included with cartridge

Key Features:

• Flagship Exclusive Series cartridge
• Diamond cantilever technology taken from limited-edition MC Century cartridge
• Stunning sound, representing the pinnacle of Ortofon's ability
• Suited to high-mass, high-precision tonearms
• Titanium SLM body construction
• WRD technology for improved performance
• Flagship Replicant 100 diamond stylus profile
• Finest components and materials used throughout
• Presented in a stunning gift box

To find the right cartridge for your system, view Ortofon’s Guide about Everything you need to know about Phono Cartridges.

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Terminal Pins

Spec Sheet

Technical Data

For cartridge dimensions, visit this page of our site.

FAQ

What is a Moving Coil cartridge?

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.

How do I install my cartridge?

Cartridge installation takes time and requires a level of understanding for the turntable/tonearm you are fiiting to. We've created a comprehensive guide, 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.

What if I break my Moving Coil cartridge?

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. 

Find out more here.

MC Diamond Set-Up and Maintenance

Set-up
As with any cartridge, setup is absolutely crucial in order to ensure the best sound reproduction capabilities. Although there are many valid paradigms that exist with regard to cartridge setup, Ortofon does not endorse a specific methodology and encourages users to explore the options as suggested by their high end audio dealer, including professional setup.

In addition to alignment, consideration must be made to adjust azimuth, anti-skating and VTA in order to maximize the potential performance of any high end cartridge. We recommend antiskating to be set according to recommended tracking force.

VTA / SRA
With a complex stylus shape like the Replicant 100, there must be special attention paid to VTA settings. The MC Anna, much like other cartridges in Ortofon’s Exclusive series, has a VTA of 23 degrees. The Stylus Rake Angle (SRA) is very important to the performance of the Replicant 100 stylus, and the long contact surface (the sharp edge) of the diamond should be close to perpendicular to the record surface when viewed from the side. A perfect starting point is always to set the arm to be parallel to the record’s surface during playback with recommended VTF, and then to optimize the SRA by making slight adjustments to tonearm height and VTF, both of which have a measurable impact on SRA.

Connecting
Please correlate the colour code for the terminals on the drawing with the colour coding on the cartridge. The terminals for right and left channel have the same position as normal for Ortofon cartridges. We recommend to mount the enclosed leadwires on cartridge and tonearm before aligning and calibrating the cartridge.

Cartridge run-in
Although the MC Diamond will provide top reproduction right out of the box, the cartridge may slightly change character during the first tens of hours of use. This is completely normal and you may, in fact, find that this adds further refinement to your listening experience.

Stylus care
Ortofon does not recommend the use of solvents of any kind for cleaning of either the record surface or stylus. If necessary, records may be washed in lukewarm demineralized water with a dash of sulphonic soap. Remove dust carefully from record surfaces by using a fine antistatic brush or cloth before every use. The use of solvents on the stylus and cantilever may damage stylus cement; interior parts of the cartridge can be affected seriously by the intrusion of solvents.

The Ortofon warranty will not be valid in cases where such treatment has caused malfunction. For cleaning the stylus, use the enclosed fiber brush a few times along the cantilever in the direction of the stylus, whenever you play a new record or change sides. Record care should also be performed regularly and is of paramount importance to prolong the life and condition of the stylus. Because of this, a record cleaning machine may be considered for ease and quality of record cleaning.

Stylus lifetime
With proper care we find that up to 1000 hours is possible without degradation of performance. The stylus does begin to exhibit changes after 1000 hours, but the stylus life as a whole is expected to top 2000 hours.

Proper care comprises the following key principles:

• Cleaning of record by means of carbon fibre brush before and after every use. Cleaning of record by using record cleaning machine once in a while. 
• Cleaning of stylus by means of a fine antistatic brush. Please remember to remove dust from the diamond tip before and after playback of each record.
• Proper adjustment of antiskating, azimuth and tracking force

Stylus protection guard
The stylus guard provided for MC Diamond is designed to be easily replaced and removed without risking contact to the fragile stylus assembly. To avoid accidental damage to the stylus or cantilever please mount the enclosed stylus guard onto the cartridge whenever the cartridge is not in use. The stylus guard should also be attached during mounting or removal of the cartridge.

The stylus guard is simply removed by holding the sides between the thumb and forefinger and pulling straight along the orientation of the cartridge. Affixing the stylus guard is of course accomplished by doing the reverse, yet still using a straight movement.

For more help and advice visit our Tech Support section