Ortofon's new flagship 'MC Century' announced

[audio.bill]

A newly developed Anniversary moving coil cartridge, the Ortofon MC Century coming soon!

The MC Century represents the absolute top of Moving Coil cartridges. This state of the art product is truly exemplary of the highest degree of performance possible in contemporary analogue playback technology.
​

The MC Century represents numerous Ortofon design elements and ideals:

• The housing and the body of the cartridge are made in Titanium with SLM technique.
• High performance iron-cobalt alloy is applied for some parts of the magnet system.
• The armature damping system provides complete elimination of unwanted resonance.
• Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, thin and light, with an extraordinarily large contact surface, tracing accuracy unparalleled by any other needle in existence.
• The crystal structure and exceptional hardness of the new Diamond cantilever ensures the best possible interface between the stylus and the armature.
• The combination of Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond on Diamond cantilever provides extremely responsive and transparent sound reproduction.

 

[miniguy]

Only 100 will be made.

 

[GaryProtein]

Only 100 will be made.

Oh boy!

Making it a collector's item just tripled whatever the normal price would have been before limiting the production run.

Honestly, I don't see the merit in limiting the production if people like it and buy it.

 

[Bruce B]

Only 100 will be made.

Just another thing to make the people with money and low self esteem feel special.....

 

[DaveyF]

Here's hoping the l'il bugger has a decent output vs. the flea and distortion inducing output of the current top line Ortofon's!




Nope, just looked at the specs....still flea like output! When are these guys going to get a clue!!!

 

[Lagonda]

Here's hoping the l'il bugger has a decent output vs. the flea and distortion inducing output of the current top line Ortofon's!




Nope, just looked at the specs....still flea like output! When are these guys going to get a clue!!!

They just want to sell you the matching step-up !
Why are Ortofon cartridges getting uglier and uglier ?

 

[jeff1225]

They just want to sell you the matching step-up !
Why are Ortofon cartridges getting uglier and uglier ?

+1.

My 1980's MM's Shure carts look sexier.

 

[pcosta]

Price?

 

[miniguy]

Price?

€10,000. No US price yet.

 

[GaryProtein]

€10,000. No US price yet.

That's a nice round number obviously chosen at random.

 

[DaveyF]

That's a nice round number obviously chosen at random.

They originally were thinking of twice that price, but then they figured they needed to reel it in and get real

 

[daytona600]

Ortofon Concorde Century MM bit cheaper @ 599 euros & visually match for a new SL10R

 

[Lagonda]

That's a nice round number obviously chosen at random.

Not at random. The formula for cartridges is : What other makers get away with charging +/- 25%.
+25 % if you want to be perceived as the best. -25% if you want to be perceived as a bargain. And adding extra diamonds seems to be a prerequisite to ! Bling !Bling !

 

[GaryProtein]

Not at random. The formula for cartridges is : What other makers get away with charging +/- 25%.
+25 % if you want to be perceived as the best. -25% if you want to be perceived as a bargain. And adding extra diamonds seems to be a prerequisite to ! Bling !Bling !

You raise a very good point!

 

[rockitman]

€10,000. No US price yet.

More than that I bet based on such limited production and diamond cantilever. I am still coming to grips on how good diamond cantilevers are with Koetsu stone bodies...coralstone in my case.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Gary, price updated to
€9999 LOL.

 

[Big Dog RJ]

10 G's just for a cartridge... mmm, must start growing those green leafs in the basement so I can ship to Columbia or wherever else consumed. sorry no pun intended!

just seems excessive, and this is where it won't stop. what about the arm? TT used, and all else that needs to bring the magic out of this magical thing costing 10 big ones...

if someone on this forum does buy it, please do let us know your thoughts and justification, I am sure if well placed should deliver the goods.

My good mate, Mr. K has the Candenza Black, and I think for the value that is one superb cart.

For now my humble Benz Micro Glider SM is just super fine...
Cheers from down unda, RJ

 

[shakti]

heard the Century two times in Munich, new SAT Tonearm.
It did, what you expect from a "big" arm/cart combination.
cannot say, if the new 12' SAT or the Century did the major part of the performance.

 

[byrdparis]

Can't understand the "bashing" about it around here (mostly).
we are a group of PPL with very High-end systems and some of us got a few cart's in our stable, not to mentioned several TTs and arms (with big numbers behind them....)
10K now days for a flag ship cart is not so much of un normal (unfortunately or not...) and from a company like Ortofon that being around for 100 years! i think we can "get" it.
this is not some "one cart, boutique, one man show super duper new best in the world company" , this is ORTOFON.... so, 10K to start for 100 units... i can swallow the idea.

personally i was in one of the Ortofon DEMOs during the Munich show, and heard the new cartridges. the concord, the new SPU (i think this is the best SPU they did yet!) and the new 100 MC.
it was hard to separate the MC from the rest of the system obviously, we didn't knew the system until then, but the switches of the carts and arms (also the phono stages) get us some of the potential we heard between them. i for one, thought it was very similar to the Anna with some "upgrade" to the highs frequencies (i guess it had to do with the diamond cantilever).
i was thinking if i didn't had the ANNA i probably would had plunge in and got the 100mc, but for now... im not going to do that.

 

[airbearing]

The Century offers a completely different sound. It is not only very dynamical but builds up a depth and atmosphere entangling you around.
Well - let us simply summarize: it is an analogue masterpiece!

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