Ortofon Quintet Black Moving Coil Cartridge
Ortofon Quintet Black Moving Coil Cartridge
What we Say:
The Ortofon Quintet Black is the top model in the Quintet series of moving coil cartridges. The Quintet series offer true Moving Coil performance at a very competitive price point.
The Ortofon Quintet Black offers a demonstrable uplift in performance over the Bronze and will happily work well in a range of decks. The character of the cartridge suits a wide range of musical taste,the sound is dynamic and tuneful with excellent ability to pick out finer details within the recording. Please get in touch if you would like to hear it in your system.
The Quintet series feature quite a large body so get in touch with us so we can check that the cartridge is compatible with your deck. For optimum performance and peace of mind we fit all cartridges we supply at no additional cost.
Ortofon Quintet Black Specification.
Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. – 0.3 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz – < 1.0 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz – > 23 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz – > 15 dB
Frequency range at – 3dB – 20 – 25.000 Hz
Frequency response 20-20.000 Hz – +/- 1.5 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force *) – 80 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral – 15 µm/mN
Stylus type – Nude Shibata on Sapphire cantilever
Stylus tip radius – r/R 6/50 µm
Tracking force range – 2.1-2.5 g (21-25 mN)
Tracking force, recommended – 2.3 g (23 mN)
*) Typical value
Tracking angle – 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance – 5 Ohm
Recommended load impedance – > 20 Ohm
Cartridge body material – ABS/Aluminium
Coil wire material – Aucurum
Cartridge colour – Black
Cartridge weight – 9 g
Compatibility with Rega brand TT/TA:
REGA brand cartridges’ height from stylus tip to the top cartridge mounting surface is lower than standard. Therefore you would need spacers to ensure the correct set-up of the Ortofon cartridge. Please read about cartridge set-up and alignment on tonearm on our FAQ.
Adjusting the height of your Rega tonearm is easy with a spacer set. A spacer of between 3.2 – 4 mm should be enough for Quintet cartridge.
Download the MC Quintet series userguide
Download the MC Quintet series brochure
Contact me when this ex-demo becomes available >
What they say:
The Quintet Black S is the best example of Quintet’s overall excellence
The Ortofon Quintet Black S is graced with a Nude Shibata diamond, considered one of the best stylus profiles available, mounted on a high-performance Sapphire cantilever.
The Shibata’s slim, highly polished profile allows an exceedingly wide contact area to the walls of the groove and ensures detailed and pure reproduction throughout the spectrum, including even the most high frequency groove information.
The ST-7 transformer is a perfect match for the MC Quintet Black cartridge.
LH-4000 headshell is specially recommended for MC Quintet cartridges series.
The new Sapphire cantilever solution
Multiple studies show that demand for strategic natural resources continues to increase. New technologies use ever-increasing amounts of rare and strategic resources. Understandable that this increasing demand may complicate future supply.
Over the decades, there has been an increase in the use of Boron. Elemental Boron is mostly used in high tech applications. One of Boron’s benefits for our modern technology is its use in neodymium magnets, which are an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron. Boron has also been applied in manufacturing of phono cartridges: Boron cantilevers are strong, stiff, light and 100% inert. From all possible options Boron cantilever is the best, but unfortunately extremely difficult to obtain.
To make sure future supplies of the Ortofon High-End cartridges, we will henceforward reserve the use of Boron cantilevers for our Exclusive series.
The new MC Quintet Black S model is graced with Shibata stylus on the Sapphire cantilever. Sapphire is one of the best cantilever options that provides an excellent mechanical pulse transfer from the stylus to the coil system.
The Quintet Black S, like its predecessor Quintet Black, produces detailed and pure reproduction though-out the spectrum, volume and soundstage.
MC Quintet Black accessories included the package
- 1 x Stylus brush, fibre
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 1 x Stylus pressure gauge/Scale
- 2 x Screw M2,5 x 5
Ease of use
Top-mounting of the Quintet cartridges is easy and secure using the screws supplied. The aluminuim frame has threaded mounting holes and is fitted easily with the 5mm or 7mm screws depending on the thickness of the headshell.
The Quintet series’ right angles, straight lines, stylus visibility and ample distance between the record surface and the cartridge’s bottom will make it easy to mount and align the cartridge and tonearm correctly. The Quintet Series gives excellent results with most common tonearms.
The Quintet Story
Nothing demonstrates Ortofon’s long-standing resilience more than its commitment to the refinement of analogue sound quality and its continued development of new cartridge models. Since 1948 Ortofon has introduced about 100 different Moving Coil models. We believe the cartridges in this new series are more than worthy successors to the long line of models that has made Ortofon the global leader in the manufacture and supply of phono cartridges.
The MC Quintet Series is a direct result of our continued research and innovation
The MC Quintet Series is congruent with Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration:
- A special ABS (Acrylonitrile/Butadiene/Styrene) thermoplastic material is used for manufacturing of the body. This light-weight, impact resistant material is very suitable for injection-moulding and provides a very durable scratch resistant surface.
- Neodymium magnets are implemented to achieve an optimal output.
- Low internal impedance makes the cartridge less sensitive to load and therefore ensures compatibility with the widest range of preamps and transformers.
It is our aim to bring our customers many hours of new and surprising experiences in listening to their precious vinyl collection.
Each of the five Quintet Series cartridges has its own individual sonic expression, and all five models together represent the ensemble of five classic variations:
- MC Quintet Mono is a true mono cartridge for playing mono microgroove vinyl records
- MC Quintet Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth
- MC Quintet Blue adds more dynamics and resolution, sounds more open and reproduces more details
- MC Quintet Bronze adds even more details and resolution but in a very evenhanded way that pays respect to all elements
- MC Quintet Black SÂ is the best of everything, true to the groove with resolution and accurate insight into each recording
Review quote MC Quintet Black S
www.hifichoice.co.uk June 2017
Group Test
Sound quality
With the correct level set, the Ortofon reveals itself to be a highly distinctive yet talented performer. This most clearly manifests itself as a slightly dark tonal balance that helps it to sound refined and powerful…
…What is interesting is that the tonal balance doesn’t restrict the energy at the top end of the frequency response…
…This is a very big and effortless-sounding cartridge….
…Vocals are given presence and detail, but without losing their relationship to the supporting musicians…