Ortofon Quintet Blue MC Cartridge - Little to No Use

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General:
This Classic Quintet Blue shows little to no signs of use under the microscope.

The Stylus is clean and straight, and the body is full intact. 

Great performing MC cartridge especially at this price. 

More from Ortofon:

Ease of use
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.

The Quintet Story
Nothing demonstrates Ortofon's long-standing resilience more than its commitment to the refinement of analog sound quality and its continued development of new cartridge models. Since 1948 Ortofon has introduced about 100 different Moving Coil models. They believe the cartridges in this new series are more than worthy successors to the long line of models that has made Ortofon the global leader in the manufacture and supply of phono cartridges.

The MC Quintet Series is a direct result of their continued research and innovation

The MC Quintet Series is congruent with Ortofon’s unrelenting commitment to providing the most precise and accurate reproduction possible without coloration:
A special ABS (Acrylonitrile/Butadiene/Styrene) thermoplastic material is used for manufacturing of the body. This light-weight, impact-resistant material is very suitable for injection-molding and provides a very durable scratch resistant surface.

Neodymium magnets are implemented to achieve optimal output.

Low internal impedance makes the cartridge less sensitive to load and therefore ensures compatibility with the widest range of preamps and transformers.

Each of the five Quintet Series cartridges has its own individual sonic expression, and all five models together represent the ensemble of five classic variations:

- MC Quintet Mono is a true mono cartridge for playing mono microgroove vinyl records
- MC Quintet Red is an all-purpose cartridge that delivers open, dynamic sound with a slight touch of warmth
- MC Quintet Blue adds more dynamics and resolution, sounds more open and reproduces more details
- MC Quintet Bronze adds even more details and resolution but in a very evenhanded way that pays respect to all elements
- MC Quintet Black S is the best of everything, true to the groove with resolution and accurate insight into each recording

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Specs:
Output voltage at 1 kHz 5 cm/sec - 0.5 mV
Channel balance - < 1.5 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz - > 21 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz - > 14 dB
Frequency range at -3 dB - 20-25.000 Hz
Frequency response 20-20.000 Hz - +/-2.5 dB
Tracking ability at 315 Hz at recommended tracking force \*) - 70 μm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 15 μm/mN
Stylus type - Nude Elliptical
Stylus tip radius - r/R 8/18 μm
Tracking force range - 2.1-2.5 g (21-25 mN)
Tracking force recommended - 2.3 g (23 mN)
Tracking angle - 20º
Internal impedance, DC resistance - 7 Ohm
Recommended load impedance - >20 Ohm
Cartridge body material - ABS/Aluminium
Coil wire material - Pure 4-nines copper
Cartridge color - Blue
Cartridge weight - 9 g

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.