Ortofon Concorde Music Red

Ortofon Concorde Music Red Cartridge with Elliptical Stylus

The Concorde Music Red is a high-end moving magnet (MM) phono cartridge from Danish brand Ortofon. It is part of the new Concorde Music series, which revisits the iconic design of the Concorde cartridges, initially designed for DJs, adapting it to the demands of home hi-fi. Developed by and for music lovers, the Concorde Music Red combines top-notch sonic performance and ease of use in a timeless design.

Sound Qualities

The Concorde Music Red delivers a rich, balanced, and dynamic sound with excellent clarity and detail fidelity. Compared to traditional DJ cartridges with spherical styli, the Music Red’s nude elliptical stylus extracts more information from the grooves and reduces distortion. The result is a more realistic reproduction, especially on audiophile recordings. The specially developed rubber suspension effectively dampens unwanted vibrations. Tracking is excellent even on slightly warped records.

Appreciable Versatility

Another strength of the Concorde Music Red lies in its compatibility with all styli in the Concorde Music range. This makes it possible to upgrade the cartridge by simply replacing the stylus without changing the body. This opens the door to multiple possibilities for customizing the sound according to one’s tastes and system.

For example, one can switch from an elliptical to a nude Shibata stylus by opting for the Concorde Music Black’s stylus. This flexibility allows adapting to different types of music and hi-fi configurations while retaining the ease of installation specific to Concorde cartridges.

Key Benefits of the Ortofon Concorde Music Red

• Iconic design combining aesthetics and performance
• Simple and quick plug-and-play installation
• High-quality elliptical stylus for precise groove tracking
• Exclusive suspension for increased clarity and dynamics
• Four-coil copper/silver system for realistic reproduction
• Compatibility with all Concorde Music styli for easy upgradability
• High 6 mV output suitable for many configurations
• Attractive value for a high-end moving magnet cartridge

Technical Specifications

Physical Components

• Diamond: elliptical shape
• Aluminum cantilever
• Suspension: rubber designed and manufactured by Ortofon
• Coils: 4 coils on split pole pieces (2+ and 2-)
• Copper: oxygen-free and silver-plated
• Cartridge mass: 1.8 g

Electrical Characteristics

• Output voltage: 6 mV
• Internal impedance, DC resistance: 1.27 kΩ
• Internal inductance: 815 mH
• Recommended load resistance: 47 kΩ
• Recommended load capacitance: 150 - 300 pF

Audio Performance

• Frequency response: +3 / -1 dB
• Channel balance at 1 kHz: 1.5 dB
• Channel separation at 1 kHz: 22 dB
• Tracking ability (315 Hz at recommended tracking force): 80 μm
• Dynamic lateral compliance: 15 μm / mN

Playback Specifications

• Stylus tip radius: r / R 8 / 18 μm
• Recommended tracking force: 1.8 g