Ortofon's MC Verismo takes its moniker from the post-Romantic operatic genre of the same name as it, too, apparently seeks to portray greater realism.

The MC Verismo promises to deliver outstanding sonic output thanks to its advanced diamond cantilever, Replicant 100 diamond stylus and titanium housing. Naturally, as an Exclusive Series cartridge, it is also handmade by seasoned artisans in Ortofon's Danish production facility.

The housing of the MC Verismo is made using Ortofon's Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technique. Here fine particles of titanium are welded together, layer-by-layer, to construct a single piece body devoid of unnecessary material. Ortofon says this enables precise control over the body density, allowing for extremely high internal damping. Moreover, we are told that the end result provides absolute freedom from resonance, and unparalleled rigidity, alongside optimised weight and improved dynamic capability, allowing the MC Verismo to be perfectly matched with a wide array of high-end tonearms.

As is the way with Exclusive Series cartridges, the MC Verismo utilises Ortofon's flagship stylus. The specially polished Line Contact-type Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus profile boasts a thin and light shape, with an impressively long and narrow contact surface. This design is said to be as close as possible to an original record cutting stylus.

Additionally, Ortofon believes its solid diamond cantilever provides the best possible interface between stylus and armature, owing to its hardness and crystal structure.

The stylus and cantilever are connected into a premium generator system, featuring a specially designed armature comprised of a metal alloy, which is less magnetic than iron. This should mean that the armature has almost no influence on the magnetic field during movement. Moreover, it allows for extreme precision in each coil turn across all layers. According to the manufacturer, the result is that the MC Verismo can obtain a higher degree of channel separation (25dB at 1kHz/ 20dB at 15kHz) while simultaneously offering lower distortion and better channel balance (0.5dB at 1kHz).

A newly developed rubber compound for the suspension system has been used to attain an optimal interaction between compliance and damping. Based on the Multi-Wall Carbon Nano Tubes (MWCNT) highly efficient nanofiller, we're informed that this new compound offers better damping and improves the cartridge's overall performance.

The MC Verismo also benefits from Ortofon's Field Stabilizing Element (FSE) – placing a small cylinder of conductive material strategically inside the magnet system for absolute stability in the magnetic field – and Wide Range Damping (WRD) system – putting a small, heavy platinum disc between two rubber absorbers with different properties for perfect damping throughout the frequency range. These are said to improve the MC Verismo's sound staging skills.

Cosmetically, the 9.5g MC Verismo clearly draws inspiration from previous Ortofon models, such as the MC A95, but it still has its own characteristics. The top of the cartridge body is ridged with three well-defined "contact points", allowing for optimal coupling to the tonearm. Ortofon recommends a 2.6g tracking force.

With its optimised weight and moderate compliance, it suits a variety of turntable equipment, while its low internal impedance (7Ω) and low output voltage of 0.2mV make it easy to pair with a wide range of MC phono stages as well as step-up transformers.

The Ortofon MC Verismo becomes available around November/December this year, priced at A$9,599 / NZ$9,999 RRP.

Visit Ortofon for more information