Ortofon Cadenza Black
Ortofon MC cartridge fitted with a Nude Shibata stylus and a boron cantilever, for high-end turntables.
Description
The Cadenza Black is a moving coil (MC) cartridge from Ortofon, designed to equip high-end turntables. It stands out for its Nude Shibata stylus mounted on a boron cantilever, a combination intended to trace the groove with a minimum of moving mass.
The boron cantilever is built on a very thin rod, a material known for its extreme rigidity while being lighter than aluminium. This lightness of the stylus and cantilever assembly reduces the moving mass, a parameter that directly affects the cartridge's ability to faithfully track the modulations cut into the groove.
The Cadenza Black also incorporates the FSE (Field Stabilizing Element) system, a technology found on higher-end Ortofon cartridges such as the MC Windfeld, MC A90, MC Anna and Xpression. This system separately controls damping of low and high frequencies, an approach aimed at a more even response across the whole spectrum.
The winding uses Aucorum wire, a technical signature of Ortofon, made from gold-plated 6NX copper. This choice of material for the MC generator's windings is in keeping with the manufacturing standards specific to the Danish brand.
This cartridge is aimed at vinyl enthusiasts with a turntable and tonearm capable of making the most of a demanding MC model, as well as a phono preamplifier suited to this type of output. It is suited to attentive listening, where playback precision is paramount.
What to check before buying used
The Nude Shibata stylus is fragile and wear significantly degrades treble reproduction: ask whether the number of hours of use is known and examine the tip under magnification for any flat spots or deposits. The boron cantilever, very rigid but brittle, may have suffered an impact during headshell fitting or removal, resulting in misalignment or a dull sound on one channel. Also check the condition and fixing of the connection pins at the rear, as well as the integrity of the body, whose fixing screws are sometimes seized or stripped on units that have changed hands frequently.
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