View Full Version : Rare Ortofon 'Exotica' carts
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 13:05
I'd never heard of the Vienna until Angus - Phonomac bagged one and they are said to be a top notch cart.
I spotted this ORTOFON MC-ER ERIK ROHMANN SIGNATURE Moving Coil the other day https://www.ebay.com/itm/192554673276?ViewItem=&item=192554673276
I'd never heard of it, anyone know of this rare cart ? It looks like a special / limited edition piece. Can only imagine it is a very decent cart ...... :)
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 13:06
I'd never heard of the Vienna until Angus - Phonomac bagged one and they are said to be a top notch cart.
I spotted this ORTOFON MC-ER ERIK ROHMANN SIGNATURE Moving Coil the other day https://www.ebay.com/itm/192554673276?ViewItem=&item=192554673276
I'd never heard of it, anyone know of this rare cart ? It looks like a special edition piece. Can only imagine it is a very decent cart ...... :)There was a Rohmann cartridge writeup somewhere. I recall them saying it was excellent. I'll see if I can find it.
I'd like to hear one mind you, garish styling aside lol
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 13:14
There was a Rohmann cartridge writeup somewhere. I recall them saying it was excellent. I'll see if I can find it.
I'd like to hear one mind you, garish styling aside lol
That would be great, not that I'm looking to get one, I'm very happy with the Cadenza B.
I do like reading about these nice Ortofon pieces though.
If I ever was fortunate enough, it would be the A95 next but thats a dream.
Yeah, this Rohmann Signature does look a tad blingy for Ortofon but I bet it would be great to hear in a decent system
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 13:26
The A95 will be my next cartridge IF a Vienna doesn't surface. A bold statement BUT the Kb is such a good cart that I have heard nothing that makes me feel like changing it. Except the Vienna. The trouble with the Vienna is, it was commissioned by William Thakker of Germanys Thakker store. He wanted a Kontrapunkt style of reproduction but better and ballsier. Due to the fact they were only available in Germany, there isn't a lot of them floating around. Unless someone decides they want a change and sells one, it's highly unlikely I'll ever get one.
That would be great, not that I'm looking to get one, I'm very happy with the Cadenza B.
I do like reading about these nice Ortofon pieces though.
If I ever was fortunate enough, it would be the A95 next but thats a dream.
Yeah, this Rohmann Signature does look a tad blingy for Ortofon but I bet it would be great to hear in a decent system
That would be great, not that I'm looking to get one, I'm very happy with the Cadenza B.
I do like reading about these nice Ortofon pieces though.
If I ever was fortunate enough, it would be the A95 next but thats a dream.
Yeah, this Rohmann Signature does look a tad blingy for Ortofon but I bet it would be great to hear in a decent system
Rob, I recon your next upgrade ought to be the Ortofon Winfeld.:)
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 13:33
Rob, I recon your next upgrade ought to be the Ortofon Winfeld.:)I spoke to Angus about the Winfield and his take was that on an overall performance, the retipped Vienna was better. Obviously, you'd need to hear it to see what he means but if the Winfield was better, Angus would have one.
I spoke to Angus about the Winfield and his take was that on an overall performance, the retipped Vienna was better. Obviously, you'd need to hear it to see what he means but if the Winfield was better, Angus would have one.
I presume the Vienna is a tad cheaper too?
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 13:51
If you can find one, Jim.
I presume the Vienna is a tad cheaper too?
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 14:19
Rob, I recon your next upgrade ought to be the Ortofon Winfeld.:)
Yep, have thought and looked into the windfeld a lot as my next realistic future upgrade so you never know. Re-tipped Vienna better ? no idea only ears would tell although Angus was / is referring to his retipped Vienna so his comments would have be based on what the retip involves and means with regard to stylus profile, cantilever etc etc etc
Either way I confidently suspect a Windfeld would not likely disappoint an Ortofon lover and is a genuine upgrade from the Cadenza B - I'd consider one in the future.
There's a user review here - 'Ortofon Cadenza Black to MC Per Winfeld' http://www.audioshark.org/turntable-tone-arm-cartridge-reviews-95/ortofon-cadenza-black-mc-per-winfield-6097.html
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 14:42
Yep, have thought and looked into the windfeld a lot as my next realistic future upgrade so you never know. Re-tipped Vienna better ? no idea only ears would tell although Angus was / is referring to his retipped Vienna so his comments would have be based on what the retip involves and means with regard to stylus profile, cantilever etc etc etc
Either way I confidently suspect a Windfeld would not likely disappoint an Ortofon lover and is a genuine upgrade from the Cadenza B - I'd consider one in the future.
There's a user review here - 'Ortofon Cadenza Black to MC Per Winfeld' http://www.audioshark.org/turntable-tone-arm-cartridge-reviews-95/ortofon-cadenza-black-mc-per-winfield-6097.htmlYou're right, Rob. Only a personal audition could confirm that and yes the Vienna Angus has is retipped with the FG-S stylus (ortofon replicant stylus equivalent) and the original Vienna doesn't have this so yes, it is better than a standard Vienna.
Hi,
That is an interesting looking Orotofon. It looks like a cross between the MC30 Super MkII & a MC30 Supreme, with a better tip.
http://www.audio-constructor.com/images/300_ortofon_mc30_super2.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcNwirnkFlvNhZJm3kQcA2h5btwGc1P 7qO8ByQfnLCAnFiau7Hrg
Ammonite Audio
21-06-2018, 15:17
The A95 will be my next cartridge IF a Vienna doesn't surface. A bold statement BUT the Kb is such a good cart that I have heard nothing that makes me feel like changing it. Except the Vienna. The trouble with the Vienna is, it was commissioned by William Thakker of Germanys Thakker store. He wanted a Kontrapunkt style of reproduction but better and ballsier. Due to the fact they were only available in Germany, there isn't a lot of them floating around. Unless someone decides they want a change and sells one, it's highly unlikely I'll ever get one.
For a 'ballsier' sound compared to a KB, the upper echelons of Ortofon's SPU range would fit the bill! I would take the SPU Classic GM E MkII over a KB.
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 15:23
For a 'ballsier' sound compared to a KB, the upper echelons of Ortofon's SPU range would fit the bill! I would take the SPU Classic GM E MkII over a KB.Maybe, but then it's off down the path of heavier arms etc. I'm very happy with my PMAT-1010.
I like the sound of the KB in the context of my system but I am sure there are other Ortofon cartridges that maybe better but they will all most certainly cost way more than the KB I purchased.
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 16:02
From the plenty I've read on the A95 it is a seriously stonking cart. All the quality, detail and refinement of the top Ortofons but dynamic and insightful with it to boot ...
Stereophile.com May 2015
Reviewed by Michael Fremer
"...I directly compared the A90 with the A95, and while the A90 remains among the fastest, most neutral cartridges I’ve ever heard, the A95 produced wider dynamics—particularly in the bottom octaves—and a generally richer, more fully fleshed out sound. If the A90 literally brought the Windfeld out of its protective shell, the A95 is the A90 on testosterone...
The Ortofon MC A95 improves on the MC A90’s well-deserved reputation for being one of the world’s best-sounding phono cartridges."
Hi-Fi World September 2015
Reviewed by Noel Keywood
Noel Keywood hails Ortofon's new A95 state-of-the-art Moving Coil cartridge as one of the best he has ever heard:
"...Dry, fast, extremely detailed and almost concussive, the A95 is a highly tuned mechanical statement. It is not lush, warm or cuddly, but rather a machine of insight and deep analysis...
...Massively capable, the A95 is a cartridge that makes the LP sound better all-round than I have ever heard it. Almost frightening!"
Yeah, I'd have one without hesitation. Only gripe is nearly £4k is an awful lot of money that is not available :(
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 16:19
Come to think of it, I'm sure I've seen the A95 on a member's signature.
If my memory serves me correctly, I remember being a bit :eek: as in 'Blimey !! serious high end cart there !' envy envy when I saw it :)
montesquieu
21-06-2018, 16:24
Bit left field perhaps and I haven't written it up yet, but I recently bought a Miyajima Takumi .. I'm a huge fan of Ortofon cartridges and I've had a bag load of different ones, from all sorts of SPUs (Royal N, Gold, Spirit, Silver Meister, SPU G and GE MkII #1, a few vintage sphericals and elipticals as well as several mono ones) as well as Jubilee, Rohman, MC30 and a few others I'm sure ... unashamedly SPU inspired, in this company, the Takumi well up there, comparable with my Royal N, and not a kick in the arse off my much more expensive Miyajima Madake. I would recommend a listen at that before forking out huge sums. I think it's a giant killer. Sorry for the stock pic but I need to write this up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/audioamp/Takumi_3.jpg
The only Ortofon "Eric Rohmann" cartridge I know of is this:
https://www.hifix.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1000x1000/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/-/O/-ORTOFON_MC_ROHMANN_MOVING_COIL_CARTRIDGE21548-1.jpg.jpg
Not especially 'blingy', but would prefer it if the "Eric Rohmann" logo was replaced with a single vertical line for ease of cuing. I would probably be tempted to buy it if one came my way. Superb specification, with an unusually healthy output for an Ortofon MC; though one shouldn't read too much into the specification as it doesn't tell you how a cartridge sounds.
Ammonite Audio
21-06-2018, 18:18
Bit left field perhaps and I haven't written it up yet, but I recently bought a Miyajima Takumi .. I'm a huge fan of Ortofon cartridges and I've had a bag load of different ones, from all sorts of SPUs (Royal N, Gold, Spirit, Silver Meister, SPU G and GE MkII #1, a few vintage sphericals and elipticals as well as several mono ones) as well as Jubilee, Rohman, MC30 and a few others I'm sure ... unashamedly SPU inspired, in this company, the Takumi well up there, comparable with my Royal N, and not a kick in the arse off my much more expensive Miyajima Madake. I would recommend a listen at that before forking out huge sums. I think it's a giant killer. Sorry for the stock pic but I need to write this up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v487/audioamp/Takumi_3.jpg
Miyajima have a new version of that cartridge in the wings - the Takumi L. The major difference is the line contact tip, to replaced the shanked elliptical of the regular Takumi. A bit off topic for an Ortofon thread, but as Tom says, a credible alternative.
Ammonite Audio
21-06-2018, 18:19
The only Ortofon "Eric Rohmann" cartridge I know of is this:
https://www.hifix.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1000x1000/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/-/O/-ORTOFON_MC_ROHMANN_MOVING_COIL_CARTRIDGE21548-1.jpg.jpg
Not especially 'blingy', but would prefer it if the "Eric Rohmann" logo was replaced with a single vertical line for ease of cuing. I would probably be tempted to buy it if one came my way. Superb specification, with an unusually healthy output for an Ortofon MC; though one shouldn't read too much into the specification as it doesn't tell you how a cartridge sounds.
I did buy one of these once, and it may have been 'tired' but the thing was so boring to listen to, I moved it on fairly quickly.
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 18:29
The only Ortofon "Eric Rohmann" cartridge I know of is this:
https://www.hifix.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1000x1000/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/-/O/-ORTOFON_MC_ROHMANN_MOVING_COIL_CARTRIDGE21548-1.jpg.jpg
Not especially 'blingy', but would prefer it if the "Eric Rohmann" logo was replaced with a single vertical line for ease of cuing. I would probably be tempted to buy it if one came my way. Superb specification, with an unusually healthy output for an Ortofon MC; though one shouldn't read too much into the specification as it doesn't tell you how a cartridge sounds.Ah, that's the one the review was about. It got good reviews.
RobbieGong
21-06-2018, 18:44
The Special Limited edition ER Signature I linked post 1 must be a bit spesh then I'd imagine, doesn't look like
anyones ever come across one here so far, I certainly never knew of it
The Special Limited edition ER Signature I linked post 1 must be a bit spesh then I'd imagine, doesn't look like
anyones ever come across one here so far, I certainly never knew of it
I didn't know of it either. As others have noted, judging by the style of the housing, it was probably was released at around the same time period as the MC30 and MC25FL with their 'ribbed' metal housings.
(By the way Robert, whilst looking for an image of the Ortofon Rohmann cartridge I came across your 'avatar'! :lol:)
Ammonite Audio
21-06-2018, 19:04
Maybe, but then it's off down the path of heavier arms etc. I'm very happy with my PMAT-1010.
SPUs will work with all sorts of arms and not just high mass ones - just look at Ortofon’s own TA-110 which is a heavily tweaked medium mass Jelco. The main criterion for SPU compatibility is the ability to balance out such heavy cartridges.
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 19:05
SPUs will work with all sorts of arms and not just high mass ones - just look at Ortofon’s own TA-110 which is a heavily tweaked medium mass Jelco. The main criterion for SPU compatibility is the ability to balance out such heavy cartridges.Fair point. I must admit that I have never heard an SPU
I'm liking the look of Tom's Japanese Cartridge. I think I'd enjoy that.
Ammonite Audio
21-06-2018, 19:08
Come to the North West Audio Show this weekend and you can hear a selection of SPUs in my room!
Bigman80
21-06-2018, 19:30
Come to the North West Audio Show this weekend and you can hear a selection of SPUs in my room!I'd love to but we already had plans over this weekend before I knew about the show.
Mike Reed
21-06-2018, 19:38
I did buy one of these once, and it may have been 'tired' but the thing was so boring to listen to, I moved it on fairly quickly.
You're not alone. My friend had one installed on his SME Five/Orbe because he loved his previous Ortofon FL 25 (? ; the cheap one with the gutsy output). Both of us thought it to be dull and undynamic, even considering its very low output, and this was into high sensitivity Naim boards. He got the dealer to take it back and substitute it with a Lyra Helikon, which I already had. He never looked back. A previous MC30 (I think) I bought in the eighties for my LP12 was so uninspiring I sold it within a couple of months.
phonomac
23-06-2018, 18:30
I presume the Vienna is a tad cheaper too?
The Vienna when last available new was 2600 Euros, comparable to the Windfeld. The re-tip with an FG-S equivalent to the Replicant 100 on the Windfeld really works well and has all the detail retrieval of the Windfeld with better dynamics.
Needless to say I don't have 2600 Euros invested in mine!
Angus
RobbieGong
23-06-2018, 21:38
The Vienna when last available new was 2600 Euros, comparable to the Windfeld. The re-tip with an FG-S equivalent to the Replicant 100 on the Windfeld really works well and has all the detail retrieval of the Windfeld with better dynamics.
Needless to say I don't have 2600 Euros invested in mine!
Angus
You've invested smartly and clearly got yourself a corker there Angus ! :thumbsup:
How does the Vienna compare to the Kontrapunkt b?
Bigman80
24-06-2018, 08:28
How does the Vienna compare to the Kontrapunkt b?The Vienna has the same even handed balance throughout the frequencies but improves on detail, soundstage and excitement. The separation of instruments is better and so is the channel separation. Bass has more timbre and generally there's more impact. The Vienna is in the "elite" bracket whilst the Kb is for us mere mortals.
Whilst the Kb is no slouch, the Vienna is simply more "alive"
It does what the Kb does, only much better.
Wakefield Turntables
24-06-2018, 13:07
I had the Rohman it's pants compared to the Black.
montesquieu
24-06-2018, 14:06
I had the Rohman it's pants compared to the Black.
I wasn't overly impressed with it either. Tracked well and detailed enough (line contact I think) but without the excitement of an SPU.
RobbieGong
24-06-2018, 21:32
And while were on the subject of the 'upper' so to speak Ortofon's, past and present.
I'd often heard about the Kontrapunkt B which seemed to be the popular seller, but I'd never heard much about the C and what that was/is like.
Then there's this Rohman ER Signature which wasnt cheap, cant find much, if anything really on that at all.
The Vienna I hadnt heard of until recently, I've come across a Valencia, not particularly expensive at around 850 euro https://www.roe-hifi.de/en/phono-accessory/moving-coil-stylus-catridge/Ortofon-Valencia-Classic-MC-stylus-cartridge.html I'd never heard of it.
Moving to defo high end, The Xpression mc is very intriguing - has anyone ever heard one at £4K ?
Ortofon dont keep still and keep on serving up high end carts alongside the manufacturing of carts that cover a wide range, from modest to very high end.
Xpression, Ti Winfeld, Xpression, A95, Anna are what I'd call the BIG guns but this new serving is unbelievable even for Ortofon - I kind of respect the fact that they just keep on pushing the boundaries throughtout the range but particulary the higher end.
When you think they've really brought a big one, they surprise you again.
The MC Century looks something else, they have thrown everything they have at this.
Created to celebrate the companys 100th Anniversary, it was always going to be very special - I believe only 100 will be produced but cant be sure.
I'd imagine it is a true statement piece and for the fortunate few who'll be able to aford it, that'll be £8.5K sir :eek:
http://snvinyl.co.uk/Ortofon-Century-Blue-MC-Moving-Coil-Cartridge
https://www.ortofon.com/mc-century-p-863
When my numbers come up, I'll mount one on the new Technics SL1000R / SP10R :D
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