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Ortofon Kontrapunkt B Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge
The Absolute Sound, Ultimate Analg Issue, Vinyl Lives! -Paul Seydor, June/July 2007
In my previous survey I found the Kontrapunkt B “crystal clear, smooth, elegant,” “naturally detailed, unobtrusively transparent.’ (I later gave it a Golden Ear award.)
2002 Stereophile Analog Source Component of the Year Runner-up! Sam Tellig's New Reference Cartridge
Stereophile Recommended Components April 2003 Class B
This model is special in having a very thin ruby cantilever mounted with the super polished Nude FG 80 stylus. Coils are made from 6-Nines pure silver wire and the output is as high as .47 millivolts at 5 cm/sec by 1 kHz. Compared to the Jubilee the sound picture is more open grandiose and dynamic with a very present perspective. The musical performance of Kontapunkt b is depending on the equipment, room and music programme. Also variations of the resistive load, can influence sound image to some extent, where higher values around 100-200 Ohm will open details further. Lower values but not less than 10 Ohm will tighten sound image. The cartridge seems to work well in small, soft rooms with loudspeakers having moderate tweeters.
With its stainless-steel body, the B weighs 10gm and specifies a higher-than-usual recommended tracking force of 2.5gm. Ruby cantilever is mounted with a "super polished Nude FG 80 stylus." Coils are wound with sixnines silver wire to give an output of 470uV. The B had ST on the edge o his seat: "I was astonished by how much musical information the Kontrapunkt B retrieved from record to record... I could hear better what individual instruments were doing." ST also found that the Kontrapunkt B may have accentuated surface noise, clicks, and pops. Thus, he advised: "For super recordings in pristine condition, I give the nod to the Kontrapunkt B." Knocking on the door of Class A and "Proof that vinyl and analog still rule," says Sam (Vol.25 No.8)
Features, Specifications & Company Profile
Ortofon Moving Coil Cartridges PDF
Ortofon Kontrapunkt Brochure PDF
Frequently Asked Questions
In summary, you can probably tell I LOVE THIS CARTRIDGE! I have 35 years of experience as an audiophile and do not easily "fall" for products any more... This one got me, even with my critique above. I surmise this cartridge will work well in a wide variety of systems as long as they are not too "bright"...
The more I listened to this Ortofon the more impressed I was with its outright fidelity and truth in reproducing the music, which is why it now stands as backup to the mighty MC-3000 II. Ortofon rules!
If you are looking to up-grade your vinyl listening I can't recommend any single piece more than the Ortofon Kontrapunkt B.
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