Ortofon LH-4000

Detailed Presentation of the Ortofon LH-4000 Headshell

The LH-4000 is a high-quality headshell manufactured by Ortofon, a renowned Danish brand in the hi-fi field specializing in phono cartridges. This model is designed for hi-fi applications and features a sleek and minimalist design. It is compatible with a wide variety of cartridges, including Ortofon’s MC Quintet series.

The LH-4000 comes with connection wires for easy attachment to the cartridge. Ortofon cartridges use a color code for the pins: red and green for the right channel (hot and ground respectively), white and blue for the left channel. The green pin grounds the cartridge body or motor system when connected inside the cartridge.

Ortofon recommends connecting the lead wires to the cartridge and headshell before mounting the cartridge on the headshell, ensuring the correct orientation of the wires. The pin diameter of Ortofon cartridges is 1.2 mm, while that of Ortofon headshell pins is 1.0 mm.

Dimensions and Compatibility

Knowing the fundamental dimensions of the headshell facilitates the correct mounting and alignment of the cartridge and tonearm. Here are the main dimensions of the LH-4000:

• Headshell length: 51.9 mm
• Headshell width: 19.1 mm
• Maximum mounting distance: 45.6 mm
• Minimum mounting distance: 39.5 mm

The LH-4000 is compatible with most tonearms. However, not all phono cartridges are compatible with all tonearms. There are several types of mounting depending on the brands:

• Standard mounting: the cartridge is fixed to the end of the tonearm via four screws inserted from the top.
• “Verso” cartridges: they are mounted from the bottom of the tonearm.
• PNP cartridges: they clip onto specific compatible tonearm ends.

Small cables connect the phono cartridge to the tonearm, turntable, and the rest of the system. Some brands offer ultra-pure copper or silver-plated copper cables to improve audio signal transmission from the cartridge, but this type of accessory is reserved for high-end systems.

Mounting and Alignment

When choosing a hi-fi cartridge, it is important to consider the characteristics of the turntable’s tonearm, particularly its compliance, which is the elasticity at the suspension level. For example, if the tonearm is heavy, a cartridge with a compliance between 5 and 20 should be chosen. A light tonearm will require a high-compliance cartridge, above 30.

The vertical alignment of the cartridge, also known as azimuth, is crucial for optimal channel separation. It can be checked by lowering the cartridge onto a thin mirror placed on the record surface and examining if the reflection is well-aligned with the cartridge when viewed from the front. During this test, the tonearm should remain parallel to the record surface.

If the alignment is incorrect and not adjustable due to a fixed headshell, the solution is to use shims on one side of the headshell. Ortofon offers a video explaining how to check and adjust the azimuth.

The cells are designed so that the cantilever angle matches the 20-degree cutting angle of the record when the cell is loaded with the recommended tracking force and the base of the cell is parallel to the tonearm, which is itself parallel to the record surface. A gap of 0.5 mm between the base of the cell and the record surface is the minimum acceptable.

Main Advantages of the Ortofon LH-4000 Headshell

• Quality design for hi-fi applications
• Sleek and minimalist design
• Compatible with Ortofon’s MC Quintet series cells
• Connection wires included for easy setup
• Precise dimensions for easy mounting and alignment of the cell
• Compatible with most tonearms
• Manufactured by Ortofon, a brand renowned for the quality of its products

Technical Specifications

General Information

• Type: high-fidelity headshell
• Material: solid aluminum
• Color: black
• Weight (without screws): 14.3 g

Dimensions

• Headshell length: 51.9 mm
• Headshell width: 19.1 mm
• Mounting distance:
  • Minimum: 39.5 mm
  • Maximum: 45.6 mm

Compatibility

• Compatible with straight or S-shaped tonearms