Ortofon Cadenza Bronze

The Ortofon Cadenza Bronze subtly marries Ortofon’s legendary technical precision with a slightly warm sound signature, specially designed to reveal the full harmonic richness of recordings. Equipped with a nude Replicant 100 diamond and exclusive Aucurum wire coils, it stands out as a top choice for discerning audiophiles seeking to extract the very best from their vinyl records.

Advanced Design and Engineering

The Cadenza Bronze’s architecture is built on decades of expertise in magnetic transduction. Its moving coil generator uses a nude Replicant 100 diamond mounted on a tapered aluminum cantilever, an optimized combination to maximize playback fidelity. This particular diamond profile features a curvature radius of just 5 microns, allowing for precise tracking of the finest modulations engraved in the groove.

The cartridge body, crafted from a stainless steel and aluminum alloy, reflects a thoughtful approach to resonance management. This dual-layer construction combines the rigidity of steel with the lightness of aluminum, creating an acoustically neutral environment for the generator. The three-point mounting ensures effective decoupling between the cartridge and the headshell, minimizing unwanted vibrations.

Distinctive Sound Signature

The Cadenza Bronze develops a recognizable sonic personality, subtly departing from Ortofon’s traditional absolute neutrality. This deliberate orientation results in a particularly flattering harmonic richness on acoustic instruments and vocals. The bass is deep and perfectly articulated, providing a solid foundation without ever sounding bloated.

The midrange excels in transparency and natural presence, reproducing timbres with remarkable accuracy. The highs extend very far with silky precision, avoiding any harshness even on the most demanding recordings. This tonal coherence allows the cartridge to excel with both large orchestral works and intimate ensembles.

Exclusive Ortofon Technologies

Aucurum wire is one of the most significant innovations in this cartridge. This 99.9999% (6N) gold-plated copper conductor ensures optimal conductivity while preserving signal integrity. The winding of the coils has been specifically optimized to ensure excellent channel separation, exceeding 24 dB at 1 kHz.

The Replicant 100 diamond represents a particularly refined approach to analog playback. Its profile faithfully reproduces that used in record cutting, ensuring optimal contact with the groove walls. This technical feature results in an exceptional ability to reveal the subtlest details while minimizing vinyl wear.

The Field Stabilizing Element (FSE) completes this setup by maintaining generator linearity even during the most dynamic passages. This technology guarantees faithful reproduction of orchestral crescendos and percussive transients—areas where many cartridges reach their limits.

Performance and Versatility

The Cadenza Bronze demonstrates exceptional tracking abilities, effortlessly handling the most complex musical passages. This remarkable aptitude extends to records with surface defects, where the cartridge manages to maintain stable tracking while minimizing extraneous noise. The Replicant diamond profile significantly contributes to this tolerance, offering an optimized contact surface.

The soundstage produced by this cartridge deserves special mention. It illuminates the farthest corners of the acoustic space in three dimensions, creating a striking sense of presence. This stereophonic capability allows for clear distinction of each instrument’s position in the orchestra, revealing placement details often masked.

Positioning Within the Range

Within the Cadenza series, the Bronze occupies an intermediate position between the Blue and the Black. This hierarchy reflects a graduated approach to performance, with each model bringing its own sonic characteristics. Compared to the Blue, the Bronze offers increased stability in the stereo image and a more pronounced harmonic richness.

This series replaces the former Kontrapunkt range, adopting a different philosophy. Whereas the Kontrapunkt models favored absolute neutrality, each Cadenza develops a distinctive sonic personality. This evolution meets the expectations of audiophiles looking to personalize their system according to their musical preferences.

Technical Specifications

Construction

• Body: stainless steel, aluminum
• Color: bronze, black
• Type: Ortofon moving coil cartridge (Repl. 100) integral
• Stylus: nude Ortofon diamond on aluminum conical cantilever

Electrical Characteristics

• Output voltage (1,000 Hz, 5 cm/s): 0.4 mV
• Internal impedance (DC): 5 Ω
• Recommended load impedance: 50-200 Ω

Audio Performance

• Frequency range (-3 dB): 20-55 kHz
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz (± 1.5 dB)
• Channel separation:
  • At 1 kHz: > 24 dB
  • At 15 kHz: > 20 dB
• Channel balance (1 kHz): < 1 dB

Mechanical Parameters

• Stylus radius: r/R 5/100 µm
• Tracking force:
  • Range: 2.2-2.7 g (22-27 mN)
  • Recommended: 2.5 g (25 mN)
• Dynamic lateral compliance: 12 µm/mN
• Tracking ability (315 Hz): 80 µm
• Tracking angle: 23°
• Weight: 10.7 g