SKU: 63816640516

Ortofon MC Cadenza Black Phono Cartridge

Sale price$1957.05 Regular price$2174.50
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $543.62 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 22 - Aug 27

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Ortofon MC Cadenza Black Phono CartridgeOrtofon Cadenza Black MC Phono Cartridge Available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada, the Ortofon Cadenza Black is the flagship of Ortofon's acclaimed Cadenza Series a low output moving coil cartridge that combines a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever with Ortofon's proprietary Wide Range Damping system and Aucurum coil wire. The result is a cartridge that Stereophile has listed in its Recommended Components for multiple consecutive years,

Ortofon Cadenza Black MC Phono Cartridge

Available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada, the Ortofon Cadenza Black is the flagship of Ortofon's acclaimed Cadenza Series — a low-output moving coil cartridge that combines a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever with Ortofon's proprietary Wide Range Damping system and Aucurum coil wire. The result is a cartridge that Stereophile has listed in its Recommended Components for multiple consecutive years, describing it as delivering "drum slam, transparency, and bass finesse." The Absolute Sound awarded it the Golden Ear Award, calling it "extremely revealing rather than romanticizing some aspect of the music." StereoNET called it "a great real-world moving coil, being super-accomplished in absolute terms without being crazily priced."

Nude Shibata Stylus on Boron Cantilever

The Cadenza Black's defining technical advantage is its nude Shibata stylus — mounted directly on the cantilever without a shank, minimising moving mass and maximising contact precision. The Shibata profile makes four-point contact with the groove wall, tracing the innermost groove geometry with far greater accuracy than elliptical or line-contact profiles, and recovering ultra-high-frequency content up to 60kHz. The cantilever itself is a very thin boron rod — a material stiffer and lighter than aluminium, chosen specifically to reduce the effective mass of the stylus/cantilever assembly to the absolute minimum. Lower moving mass means faster transient response, better tracking at the recommended 2.3g, and improved resolution of fine detail.

WRD — Wide Range Damping System

The Cadenza Black employs Ortofon's WRD (Wide Range Damping) system — a suspension technology shared with the MC Windfeld, MC A90, MC Anna, and MC A95. Rather than using a single damping compound for the entire frequency range, WRD controls high-frequency and low-frequency damping independently, allowing the cartridge to maintain composure and tracking at both extremes of the audio band without compromise. Cobalt-iron pole pieces and an improved armature winding process further refine the generator's efficiency and linearity.

Aucurum Coil Wire — Gold-Plated 6NX Copper

The generator coils are wound with Ortofon Aucurum wire — a gold-plated 6NX (six-nines purity) copper wire developed specifically to minimise distortion in the coil winding. Combined with the cobalt-iron pole piece geometry and the extremely low internal impedance of 5Ω, the Cadenza Black delivers a 0.3mV output that pairs effectively with a wide range of MC phono stages and step-up transformers.

Key Features

  • Nude Shibata stylus — four-point groove contact, ultra-high-frequency tracing to 60kHz
  • Boron cantilever — stiffer and lighter than aluminium, extremely low effective moving mass
  • WRD (Wide Range Damping) — independent high and low frequency damping, shared with MC Anna/A90/A95
  • Ortofon Aucurum coil wire — gold-plated 6NX copper for minimum distortion
  • Cobalt-iron pole pieces + improved armature winding from the Cadenza Series development
  • Stainless steel and aluminium cartridge body — black/black finish
  • Output: 0.3mV (low output MC) — requires MC phono stage or step-up transformer
  • Internal impedance: 5Ω — compatible with loads >10Ω
  • Compliance: 16µm/mN — suits medium-mass tonearms
  • Stereophile Recommended Component (multiple years including 2024)
  • The Absolute Sound Golden Ear Award and Editors' Choice Award

Technical Specifications

Specification Value
Stylus type Nude Shibata, r/R 6/50µm
Cantilever Boron
Output voltage (1kHz, 5cm/sec) 0.3mV
Channel balance at 1kHz <0.8dB
Channel separation at 1kHz >27dB
Channel separation at 15kHz >20dB
Frequency range (−3dB) 20Hz – 60,000Hz
Frequency response (20Hz–20kHz) +1.5/0dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz 90µm at recommended tracking force
Dynamic compliance (lateral) 16µm/mN
Tracking force range 2.0–2.5g (20–25mN)
Recommended tracking force 2.3g (23mN)
Tracking angle 20°
Internal impedance
Recommended load impedance >10Ω
Body material Stainless steel / aluminium
Colour Black / Black
Weight 10.7g

Frequently Asked Questions

What phono stage does the Ortofon Cadenza Black require?

The Cadenza Black outputs 0.3mV — a low-output MC level that requires either a dedicated MC phono stage with sufficient gain (typically 60–70dB) or a moving coil step-up transformer into a standard MM phono stage. Its 5Ω internal impedance and recommended load of >10Ω makes it compatible with most quality MC phono stages. Contact Vinyl Sound Toronto for phono stage pairing recommendations.

What tonearm mass is compatible with the Ortofon Cadenza Black?

The Cadenza Black has a dynamic compliance of 16µm/mN — a medium compliance that works best with tonearms of low to medium effective mass, typically 8–16g. This covers most quality tonearms including Rega, SME, Ortofon, and many others. The resonance frequency with a 10g effective mass tonearm falls comfortably within the 8–12Hz optimal range.

What is a Shibata stylus and why does it matter?

The Shibata stylus profile — developed by Norio Shibata at JVC in the early 1970s for quadraphonic playback — makes four-point contact with the groove wall rather than the two-point contact of an elliptical. This wider contact patch retrieves more groove information, particularly at high frequencies, and distributes the stylus load over a larger area to reduce record and stylus wear. The Cadenza Black's nude Shibata is mounted directly on the boron cantilever without an intermediate shank, minimising moving mass for maximum resolution.

What is the difference between the Ortofon Cadenza Black and Cadenza Bronze?

The Cadenza Black is the flagship of the Cadenza Series and uses a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever — a more revealing and high-resolving combination than the Cadenza Bronze's nude Replicant 100 stylus on an aluminium cantilever. The Black has a slightly lower output (0.3mV vs 0.5mV) and requires a higher-gain phono stage. The Black is suited to listeners seeking maximum detail and soundstage depth; the Bronze offers a slightly warmer presentation.

Where can I buy the Ortofon Cadenza Black in Toronto, Canada?

The Ortofon Cadenza Black is available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. Contact us for current pricing, tonearm compatibility advice, and phono stage matching recommendations.

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 63816640516

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.0 ★★★★★
Based on 29 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
B
Verified Purchase
Beguiled By Books
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book for direction on how to help yourself!
Format: Kindle
This book, written for (as the title suggests) adult children of emotionally immature (EI) parents, provide wonderful insights into the psychology of EI people. Regardless of the emotional level of your parents, these books are a must-read for everyone. Why? Gibson kindly and directly delivers clear insights into EI behavior, which applies to any adult in your life. Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: Honor Your Emotions, Nurture Your Self, and Live with Confidence, deals with caring for yourself in ongoing relationships with EI people. These techniques are grouped by where and when you may encounter EI people to use the book as a reference guide. If you are close to someone who exhibits EI behaviors, you can flip to that section. If you work with EI people, there's a section for coworkers. This book focuses on how you nurture yourself and your identity once you've worked on healing from childhood trauma. Gibson does a superb job of sharing direct context about EI people. She pulls no punches about EI people's damage but gives space to encourage growth and break the multi-generational trauma.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
M
Verified Purchase
Melissa
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Really informative fun read
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
This book is divided into different subjects which makes it easy to read ALL or just the sections that your looking for direct information on. Really helpful, simple to understand and goes great with the other 2 she has.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
P
Verified Purchase
P. Sue Thumbacker
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
A Fabuous Book
Format: Paperback
This is a book not just for adult children of emotionally immature parents. It is a book for everyone! It was invaluable in helping me better understand myself and my relationships with others. I really liked the format of the book. It is divided into many interesting categories for easy referencing and reading. Dr. Gibson is an amazing writer. She certainly has deep insights and a very clear understanding of the human condition. I applaud her! All of my friends have been recipients of this wonderful book. I highly recommend it!!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2022
R
Verified Purchase
R. Otero
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Lindsay C. Gibson is a Life Changer
Format: Kindle
After reading Adult Children of Immature Parents I had to read her self care book and I’m also reading Who You We’re Meant to Be. She gets me! Her writing helps shift my perspective and helps me not beat myself up for beliefs or behaviors I didn’t understand and couldn’t change. She put words to thoughts and feelings I believed I was the only person having. And she broadened the meaning of what self-care is and can be. I feel more hopeful and I use her words as affirmations to help me practice her empowering insights. I’m so grateful my therapist introduced me to Lindsay Gibson’s work.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2022
D
Verified Purchase
Doomsday
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Un gran libro
Format: Kindle
Me está gustando mucho este libro, y eso que aún no lo termino de leer. Hay varias cosas de sentido común, pero que uno tiene qué recordar para poderlas llevar a cabo. La disciplina es importante para lograr cosas.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2016

recommand products