Ortofon quintet vs. cadenza series


Would like to hear opinions of the relative merits/drawbacks of this series of Ortofon LOMC cartridges.
boofer

Showing 1 response by mulveling

Haven’t tried Quintets yet but I can say the Cadenza Red and Bronze are excellent cartridges, with a very agreeable disposition for all types of music including rock. The Red was particularly fun with rock - lively, fast sounding with punchy bass. Bronze adds more warmth and body through the midrange. I first auditioned the Clearaudio Innovation line with a Red on an Innovation Compact (this was ~ 10 years ago) and it left a mark on me for sure. These Cadenzas also do very well with loud playback :)

Ortofons above this level are very good, BUT have a different personality and at times I find them a bit dry. In particular, I was not a fan of the Jubilee MC (predecessor of Cadenza Black) which uses their shibata-on-boron. OMG that cartridge almost bored me to death. I found both Windfelds above the Jubilee to be much more enjoyable, but there too I find their portrayal a bit austere for my tastes (I like carts like Koetsu). So I wouldn’t stress much about the Red "only" having a fine line on aluminum.

The Red strikes me as a good example of: "this is where MCs get good, and start to shine well above the 2M Black"