MC Anna Diamond
Key Features:
•Flagship Exclusive Series cartridge
•Takes the MC Anna design and adds a diamond cantilever
•Diamond cantilever technology taken from limited-edition MC Century cartridge
•Stunning sound, representing the pinnacle of Ortofon's ability
•Suited to high-mass, high-precision tonearms
•Titanium SLM body construction
•WRD technology for improved performance
•Flagship Replicant 100 diamond stylus profile
•Finest components and materials used throughout
•Presented in a stunning gift box
•Inspired by the limited-edition MC Century cartridge
The MC Anna Diamond model represents the highest echelon of moving coil cartridges. As its name suggests, the MC Anna Diamond takes the original design but uses a Diamond cantilever that, in combination with the Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus, offers unrivalled transparency, speed and responsiveness in its information retrieval. This state-of-the-art product, representative of numerous Ortofon design elements and ideas, is truly exemplary of the highest degree of performance possible in contemporary analogue playback technology.
The story behind the MC Anna Diamond cartridge
Ortofon has a long tradition of paying tribute to persons who have been highly influential within high-end audio culture, with models like SPU Meister, MC Rohmann, Kontrapunkt and the MC Windfeld they take inspiration from important figures to engineer premium audio products. With the MC Anna and new MC Anna Diamond, Ortofon is dedicating their flagship design to the operatic soprano Anna Netrebko, a virtuoso whose performance displays a formidable technical arsenal of endless versatility. With such an iconic figure in mind, the MC Anna Diamond makes use of Ortofon’s finest technologies and materials.
Titanium Structure
The housing of the MC Anna Diamond is made using Ortofon’s pioneering SLM technique. In production, fine particles of Titanium are welded together, layer-by-layer, to construct a single piece body devoid of unnecessary material. Using this technique, the density of the body can be precisely controlled, allowing for extremely high internal damping. The final result provides absolute freedom from resonance, allowing the MC Anna Diamond to perfectly suit a wide array of high-end tonearms.
The finest technologies and material choices
Like previous Ortofon flagships, the MC Anna Diamond makes use of the company’s best stylus profile. The specially polished Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus profile boasts a thin and light shape, with an impressively long vertical contact surface making it as close as possible to an original record cutting stylus as possible. However, thanks to the technical advances made in developing the MC Century, the MC Anna Diamond sees the stylus mounted onto a diamond cantilever; a feature that redefines the boundaries of analogue reproduction, presenting greater inner detail, subtlety, and depth like never before.
The stylus and cantilever are connected into a newly improved generator system with a high performance iron-cobalt alloy applied in some parts of the magnet structure for greater consistency and control. The specially designed precision moulded non-magnetic armature is very strong and rigid, and also benefits from extreme precision in each coil turn on all layers. The armature then extends beyond the coils, interfacing directly with the rubber dampers, which sandwich a small heavy disc of platinum. This Wide Range Damping (WRD) system offers more consistent movement with zero unwanted resonance, and thereby better stereo perspective and transient delineation.
The best of the best
Cosmetically, the shape of the MC Anna Diamond is the same as the standard MC Anna, differentiated visually only by the additional diamond logo on the front of the cartridge. The bottom section of the cartridge has been constructed from a special proprietary Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) material, which provides additional damping properties.
The MC Anna Diamond focuses on providing music in its entirety without compromise, offering an ideal balance of precision and musicality with fine attention to both micro and macro dynamics combined with fluid tonality and texture. It is also made to be relatively easy to partner with a wide-range of tonearms and turntables.
With an output impedance of 6Ω and a low-to-medium output voltage of 0.2mV, the MC Anna Diamond is easy to partner with most phono pre-amps and step-up transformers – including Ortofon’s own ST-80 SE model. It’s also an ideal match for high-mass, high-precision tonearms with gimbal bearing systems. Supplied in a luxury case made with Japanese wood, accompanied by a comprehensive user booklet and maintenance kit, the MC Anna Diamond is a true high-end hi-fi statement.
Technical Specifications:-
Output Voltage (at 1kHz, 5cm/sec): 0.2mV
Channel Balance at 1kHz: 0.5dB
Channel Separation at 1kHz: 25dB
Channel Separation at 15kHz: 22dB
Frequency Response 20Hz - 20kHz: ± 1.5dB
Tracking Ability at 315Hz: 80μm
Compliance, Dynamic, Lateral: 9μm / mN
Stylus Type: Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 (Special Polished Version)
Cantilever: Diamond
Stylus Tip Radius r / R: 5 / 100μm
Recommended Tracking Force: 2.4g (24mN)
Tracking Angle: 23º
Internal Impedance / DC Resistance: 6Ω
Recommended Load Impedance: > 10Ω
Cartridge Body Material: SLM Titanium
Cartridge Colour: Black / Silver
Cartridge Weight: 16.0g
Included Accessories: LW-800S Lead Wires