Ortofon Quintet Red MC Cartridge

MC Quintet Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth.

This entry-level MC cartridge has a very high price-to-performance ratio and is the perfect all-rounder for the newcomers to the world of Moving Coil cartridges.

Enter the Exclusive world of Ortofon’s famous moving coil sound! The Quintet Red is a perfect introduction to the world of Ortofon moving coils. It features an Elliptical diamond which is cut and polished to Ortofon’s high standards.

The ST-7 transformer is a perfect match for the MC Quintet Red cartridge.

The Quintet series

Nothing demonstrates Ortofon’s long-standing resilience more than its commitment to the refinement of analogue sound quality and its continued development of new cartridge models. Since 1948 Ortofon has introduced about 100 different Moving Coil models. We believe the cartridges in this new series are more than worthy successors to the long line of models that has made Ortofon the global leader in the manufacture and supply of phono cartridges.

The MC Quintet Series is a direct result of Ortofon’s continued research and innovation

The MC Quintet Series is congruent with Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without colouration:

• A special ABS (Acrylonitrile/Butadiene/Styrene) thermoplastic material is used for manufacturing of the body. This light-weight, impact resistant material is very suitable for injection-moulding and provides a very durable scratch resistant surface.
• Neodymium magnets are implemented to achieve an optimal output.
• Low internal impedance makes the cartridge less sensitive to load and therefore ensures compatibility with the widest range of preamps and transformers.

It is Ortofon’s aim to bring their customers many hours of new and surprising experiences in listening to their precious vinyl collection.

Each of the five Quintet Series cartridges has its own individual sonic expression, and all five models together represent the ensemble of five classic variations:

• MC Quintet Mono is a true mono cartridge for playing mono microgroove vinyl records
• MC Quintet Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth
• MC Quintet Blue adds more dynamics and resolution, sounds more open and reproduces more details
• MC Quintet Bronze adds even more details and resolution but in a very evenhanded way that pays respect to all elements
• MC Quintet Black is the best of everything, true to the groove with resolution and accurate insight into each recording

Ease of use

Top-mounting of the Quintet cartridges is easy and secure using the screws supplied. The aluminium frame has threaded mounting holes and is fitted easily with the 5mm or 7mm screws depending on the thickness of the headshell.

The Quintet series’ right angles, straight lines, stylus visibility and ample distance between the record surface and the cartridge’s bottom will make it easy to mount and align the cartridge and tonearm correctly. The Quintet Series gives excellent results with most common tonearms.

Technical Data

• Output voltage at 1 kHz 5 cm/sec – 0.5 mV
• Channel balance – < 1.5 dB
• Channel separation at 1 kHz – > 21 dB
• Channel separation at 15 kHz – > 14 dB
• Frequency range at -3 dB – 20 – 25.000Hz
• Frequency response 20-20.000 Hz – +/-2.5 dB
• Tracking ability at 315 Hz at recommended tracking force *) – 65 μm
• Compliance, dynamic, lateral – 15 μm/mN
• Stylus type – Elliptical
• Stylus tip radius – r/R 8/18 μm
• Tracking force range – 2.1-2.5 g (21-25 mN)
• Tracking force recommended – 2.3 g (23 mN)
• Tracking angle – 20º
• Internal impedance, DC resistance – 7 Ohm
• Recommended load impedance – >20 Ohm
• Cartridge body material – ABS/Aluminium
• Coil wire material – Copper
• Cartridge colour – Red
• Cartridge weight – 9 g