Do you remember the Ortofon MC A90 phono cartridge? If not, and if you were never lucky enough to hear it, you probably know what it signifies. Designed to exceed the performance of its iconic predecessor, MC 90X reimagines what’s possible from a moving-coil in this price range. Benefitting from cutting-edge construction, precision-minded engineering, and advanced materials, the limited-batch MC A90 transmits the often-unmined depth, ultra-nuanced details, extended upper-end highs, and colorful tones contained in the grooves of the world’s choicest vinyl LPs. 

Outfitted with a Wide Range Damping ( WRD ) system — comprised of a platinum disc placed between a pair of in-house-made rubber dampers, the total assembly provides outstanding tracking and resonance control — the 9.5-gram MC 90X sails through complex passages while demonstrating remarkable clarity, focus, and refinement. An Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus, renowned for its light profile and large contact surface, allows MC 90X to trace grooves with staggering accuracy and authority. Enhanced by a special polishing process and Boron cantilever, the combination plays with involving transparency, speed, and energy. MC 90X also benefits from Orotofon’s high-end Field Stabilizing Element (FSE), which, true to its name, improves dynamic responsiveness and channel separation by stabilizing the magnetic field. 

As for the most visible feature of the MC 90X, its blue stainless-steel body? It comes crafted by way of Selective Laser Melting ( SLM ) technology that involves laser-welding of micro particles to create a one-piece body. The end result: Increased rigidity, reduced resonances, and optimal cartridge mass, helping generate superior sound and linearity. To further provide reference-level signal transmission, MC 90X possesses coil wires made of the special alloy Aucurum, a gold-plated 6NX oxygen-free copper.

"Along with still-futuristic looks after a decade-and-a-half and construction worthy of a high-end wristwatch, the Ortofon MC 90X charms with a performance that can deal with Van Halen and Van Cliburn. It strikes this listener as the beneficiary of a legacy which endows it with hints of an SPU, plus the precision of cutting-edge research. At the price? A champ."

Review by Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product 

Specifications

- Channel Balance at 1 kHz: < 0.2 dB

- Output Voltage at 1 kHz, 5cm/sec: 0.25 mV

- Channel Separation at 1 kHz: > 28 dB

- Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 kHz: +/- 1 dB

- Compliance, Dynamic, Lateral: 11 μm/mN

- Cantilever Material: Boron

- Stylus Type: Ortofon Replicant 100

- Stylus Tip Radius: r/R 5/100 μm

- Coil System: Quad coils

- Recommended Tracking Force: 2.3 grams

- Internal Impedance, DC Resistance: 4 Ω

- Coil Wire Material: Aucurum ( Gold-plated 6NX Oxygen Free Copper  )

- Recommended Load Resistance: > 10 Ω

- Cartridge Net Weight: 9.5 grams