As its name suggests, the MC Anna Diamond uses a Diamond cantilever in combination with the Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond. Ortofon tells us that this offers extreme transparency, speed and responsiveness beyond that of any other combination. The use of the Diamond cantilever in the MC Anna Diamond has prompted a paradigm shift in the company’s understanding of analogue reproduction as the improvements found using this cantilever has “redefined the boundaries of analogue reproduction, presenting greater inner detail, subtlety, and depth like never before.”
Historically, Ortofon has a long tradition of paying tribute to persons who have been highly influential within the high-end audio, music and history in general. Previous honours have included the SPU Meister, MC Rohmann, Kontrapunkt series and Windfeld cartridges.
Continuing this tradition with the MC Anna and the MC Anna Diamond, Ortofon dedicates these flagship cartridges to the operatic soprano Anna Netrebko, a virtuoso whose performance displays a formidable technical arsenal of endless versatility.
The MC Anna Diamond’s housing and cartridge body are made in Titanium using the Selective Laser Melting technique. Additionally, a high-performance iron-cobalt alloy is applied to select parts of the magnet system.
Thanks to the cartridge’s Wide-Range armature damping system, any unwanted resonance is eliminated. By extending the armature beyond the coils, it can interface directly with the rubber dampers, which sandwich a small heavy disc of platinum. This offers more consistent movement, and thereby better stereo perspective and transient delineation.
System resonances are also damped by the use of the Thermo Plastic Elastomer (TPE) compound which comprises the bottom cover assembly.
The MC Anna Diamond makes use of Ortofon’s Replicant 100 diamond, known for its thin and light profile and extraordinarily large contact surface. Since the Replicant 100 has the closest shape to a cutting stylus, it can trace with accuracy unparalleled by any other needle in existence. Special polishing of the diamond along with the use of a Diamond cantilever provides the best possible interface between the stylus and armature, owing to its hardness and crystal structure.
According to Ortofon, the optimised geometry of the magnet system combined with choice materials such as neodymium and iron-cobalt offers an unprecedented consistency of the flux density within the system’s air gap. Due to an increase of active material inside of the magnet system, the magnetic field strength is delivered more uniformly, allowing each coil to sense identical flux density regardless of its position. Because of this, dynamics and impulse linearity are preserved to an overwhelming extent.
The optimised magnet system allows for the use of a lightweight, non-magnetic armature, which is said provides noteworthy benefit to the dynamic capability of the MC Anna Diamond. The specially designed precision moulded non-magnetic armature does not alter the magnetic field during movement. Hence when combined with ultrapure oxygen-free copper coil wire, it delivers perfect reproduction of the cantilever movements without compromise. The material applied for the armature has very high strength and rigidity.
The output impedance of 6 ohms and a low-to-medium output voltage of 0.2 mV make the MC Anna Diamond perfect partner for most MC phono preamps and step-up transformers. Naturally, that includes the Ortofon ST-80 SE MC transformer.
The cartridge is a perfect match for a high-mass, high-precision tonearm with gimbaled bearing.
Of course, a special cartridge is presented in special packaging. The MC Anna Diamond is delivered in an exclusive box made of famous Japanese oak. The lid also features a pair of hinges carved out of Japanese maple.
For the exclusive surface treatment, the 6,000-year-old Japanese Urushi lacquer method was chosen to achieving a hard, resistant and beautiful multilayer surface in dark maroon colour.
We are looking forward to hearing the new cartridge in Munich.
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