Ortofon Quintet Black S Phono Cartridge with Sapphire Cantilever - Pre-Loved

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General:
The Ortofon Quintet Black S is top of the line in the Quintet range. Fitted with some of the best technology Ortofon has to offer, including a Nude Shibata diamond stylus and a Sapphire cantilever. 

It was recently inspected under our dedicated shop microscope and it shows minimal to no wear on the stylus. In testing it sounded beautiful. 

This cartridge will come to you complete with its stylus protector, and original box. 

From Ortofon:
The MC Quintet Series is congruent with Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration:
- A special PC thermoplastic material is used for manufacturing of the body. This light-weight, impact resistant material is very suitable for injection-moulding and provides a very durable scratch resistant surface.
- Neodymium magnets are implemented to achieve an optimal output.
- Low internal impedance makes the cartridge less sensitive to load and therefore ensures compatibility with the widest range of preamps and transformers.
The MC Quintet Black S is the best of everything, true to the groove with resolution and accurate insight into each recording.

The new MC Quintet Black S model is graced with the Shibata stylus on the Sapphire cantilever.
The Quintet Black S produces a detailed and pure reproduction throughout the spectrum, volume, and soundstage. The Quintet Black S will be unfettered by musical genre and will give the closest approach within the Quintet Series to Ortofon’s true accuracy in sound.

Top-mounting of the Quintet cartridges is easy and secure using the screws supplied. The aluminum frame has threaded mounting holes and is fitted easily with the 5mm or 7mm screws depending on the thickness of the headshell.
The Quintet series’ right angles, straight lines, stylus visibility, and ample distance between the record surface and the cartridge’s bottom will make it easy to mount and align the cartridge and tonearm correctly. The Quintet Series gives excellent results with most common tonearms.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Some wear on box, cartridge looks new.

Ownership:
Single Owner

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
9/10 = Excellent. Perfect physical condition, gently used. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Unit and box

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Original MSRP:
$1,099.00

Specs:
Channel balance at 1 kHz
< 1.0 dB
Output voltage at 1 kHz, 5cm/sec
0.3 mV
Channel separation at 1 kHz
\> 23 dB
Frequency response 20 Hz - 20 kHz
+/- 1.5 dB
Tracking ability at 315 Hz
80 μm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral
15 µm/mN
Stylus type
Nude Shibata on Sapphire cantilever
Stylus tip radius
r/R 6/50 µm
Tracking force range
2.1 - 2.5 g
Tracking force, recommended
2.3 g
Tracking angle
20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance
5 Ohm
Recommended load impedance
\> 20 Ohm
Coil wire material
Aucurum
Cartridge body material
PC
Cartridge color
Black

Testing Process:
We start by doing a detailed physical inspection under light magnification to asses the cantilever condition, its position in the cartridge body, and the condition of the suspension.

We also inspect any coil wires and the output connections to make sure it hasn't been strained. We then perform a light cleaning with specialized agents and very carefully blow dry with compressed air.

Following that, we conduct a thorough examination using our Wild Heerbrugg professional microscope. From there we can asses the wear and quality of the stylus and determine how much use it has seen, and if there are any mechanical issues. We can also identify if it needs further cleaning or care.

We then move the cartridge to a digital microscope where we take photos of the cantilever and stylus for future reference.

Next we move to the test bench where we can check for continuity of each channel and resistance.

On certain cartridges (or if the technician feels necessary) we install the cartridge on a turntable and run several test records to ascertain tacking ability, distortion, and compliance.