Historical product

MC A95

A world class moving coil cartridge was launched to commemorate the 95th anniversary of Ortofon’s technical leadership in the audio industry. The MC A95 was produced in limited series of only 500 individually numbered units.

The MC A95 will undoubtedly provide sound which is literally unsurpassed and simply has to be experienced. Of course, aesthetically, the MC A95 has a distinctive, elegant design which makes no compromises.

With optimal weight and compliance to suit the vast majority of modern tonearms, the MC A95 is easily compatible with a seemingly endless array of modern contemporary high-end turntable equipment.

Low internal impedance makes the MC A95 less sensitive to load and therefore ensures compatibility with the Ortofon ST-80 SE transformer, as well as with the widest range of preamps and transformers.

By combining the utilization of the the SLM process, our patented WRD system and zero-resonance spikes, we are confident that the perfect mechanical integration of this cartridge with your tonearm will result in a significant and breathtaking increase in dynamics, resolution, and richness in detail.

Benefits of high-end materials and advancements in technology

Magnet system and Damping

The housing of the cartridge is made of Titanium, using our famed SLM manufacturing technique which was pioneered by Ortofon during the manufacturing of the MC A90, Xpression, SPU A90, MC Anna, and SPU A95 cartridges.

Considered an engineering breakthrough, the Selective Laser Melting process welds fine particles of Titanium together, layer-by-layer, to construct a single piece body devoid of extraneous material. This technique allows for precise control of the density of the body material, allowing for extremely high internal damping. The final result provides freedom over vibrations within the cartridge body material.

The use of Titanium has provided a further improvement to the internal damping capabilities as well as to the overall rigidity of the structure.

Neodymium magnet
and FSE

The magnet system is based on an extremely strong, compact neodymium magnet, which makes the generator system both compact and lighter through its minimal dimensions. Inspired by the elements of MC Anna design, the MC A95 makes use of a specially designed armature comprised of a metal alloy which is much less magnetic than normal iron. This provides noteworthy benefit to the dynamic capabilities of the cartridge. The reason for this is that our high-tech armature has almost no influence on the magnetic field during movement. Hence when combined with the Aucurum coils of gold-plated 6NX oxygen-free copper, it delivers perfect reproduction of the cantilever movements without compromise.  Any trace of remaining magnetic influences that would create distortion is prevented by the use of a Field Stabilizing Element (FSE). Ortofon’s FSE, a small cylinder of conductive material strategically placed inside the magnet system, guarantees that the force field remains stable regardless of the movement of the armature. FSE improves the channel separation, while at the same time minimizing dynamic distortion and intermodulation.

The result: fantastic dynamics and even more elbow room between the musicians. You simply experience more drama and greater breadth, height, and depth in the sound scenario.

Enhanced damping capabilities

Adding to the list of important components is Ortofon’s Wide Range Damping (WRD) system.

In this system, a small, heavy platinum disc is sandwiched between two rubber absorbers, both with different properties. This ensures not only an exceptional tracking performance but also creates a perfect damping through the entire frequency spectrum. Because of this, distortion and resonance are virtually eliminated entirely.

The WRD system, which was originally introduced in the MC 20 Mk II in 1979 and was also used in the MC A90, MC Windfeld, Xpression, and MC Anna phono cartridges, is one significant reason why the MC A95, while achieving the most linear frequency response and the highest upper frequency limit ever, at the same time tracks a fantastic 90 μm at a vertical tracking force of 2.3 grams.

Raising the standards

The MC A95 not only celebrates the past 95 years of Ortofon, first and foremost it also makes history by significantly raising the standards by which sound reproduction is measured, making it a celebration of sound itself.

The Ortofon MC A95 has gone to the next level by reducing unwanted vibrations and increasing the dynamic capability of the cartridge. Our extensive knowledge of vibration properties, characteristics in different shapes and materials, competences in magnetism, mechanical design, and new technologies has been applied for optimization of the MC A95.

Those who choose to adopt the MC A95 will experience the lifelike, open sound, with exceedingly clear midrange for a presentation that is unparalleled. The MC A95 remains extremely musical while paying close attention to micro dynamic details, with its delicate but also analytical nature.

Lovers of music will take note of a truly organic and encapsulating experience which transcends the boundaries of recording and undeniably blurs the distinction between what is live and what is recorded.

Reviews and awards

The Absolute Sound's 2016 Golden Year Awards
Ortofon MC A95 Moving Coil cartridge
By Andre Jennings

"... With a titanium cartridge body literally built from the ground up using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) manufacturing process, the MC A95 replaces the discontinued MC A90 in the Ortofon line up and improves performance in every area ...

...The MC A95 achieves this impressive feat by building on the past few years of Ortofon's in-house technical advances in cartridge design and combining what this writer feels are the complementary attributes of MC A90 and Anna into a must-hear creation...

... This Ortofon is the most complete all-around cartridge to date in the current lineup."

Stereophile.com May 2015 
Reviewed by Michael Fremer

"... I directly compared the A90 with the A95, and while the A90 remains among the fastest, most neutral cartridges I’ve ever heard, the A95 produced wider dynamics—particularly in the bottom octaves—and a generally richer, more fully fleshed out sound. If the A90 literally brought the Windfeld out of its protective shell, the A95 is the A90 on testosterone...

The Ortofon MC A95 improves on the MC A90’s well-deserved reputation for being one of the world’s best-sounding phono cartridges."

Hi-Fi World September 2015 
Reviewed by Noel Keywood

"... Dry, fast, extremely detailed and almost concussive, the A95 is a highly tuned mechanical statement. It is not lush, warm, or cuddly, but rather a machine of insight and deep analysis ... Massively capable, the A95 is a cartridge that makes the LP sound better all-round than I have ever heard it. Almost frightening!"

Retrieve your copy of the review

Extremely high-end materials benefit new coil technology

Using Ortofon’s Aucurum coils of gold-plated, 6NX oxygen-free copper allows for zero-loss transmission of the diamond’s movements via its boron cantilever.

 This combination, which has also been employed for use in the MC Windfeld and MC A90 cartridges, combines low moving mass with an extremely high degree of rigidity.

A specially designed armature is used to achieve extreme precision in each coil turn in all layers. This enables the MC A95 to achieve a higher degree of channel separation, while simultaneously offering lower distortion and better channel balance. The armature is made in a metal alloy which is much less magnetic than normal iron, which boosts the dynamic capability of the cartridge.Coil wire protection has been constructed from our special high damping proprietary TPE (Thermo-Plastic Elastomer) material, which enhances the total damping properties of the cartridge.

The Ortofon MC A95 Technical data

Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. - 0.2 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz  -  < 0.5 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz  -  > 25 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz  -  > 22 dB
Frequency range at - 3dB  -  10 Hz - 50 kHz
Frequency response  -  20 Hz-20 kHz +2 dB/- 1 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force  -  90 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral  -  13 µm/mN
Stylus type  -  Special polished Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 on Boron Cantilever
Stylus tip radius  -  r/R 5/100 µm
Tracking force range  -  2.0-2.5 g (20-25 mN)
Tracking force, recommended  -  2.3 g (23 mN)
Tracking angle  -  23°
Internal impedance, DC resistance  -  7 Ohm
Recommended load impedance  -   > 10 Ohm
Coil wire material  -  Aucurum
Cartridge body material  -  SLM Titanium
Cartridge colour  -  Silver
Cartridge weight  -  6 gram

Download the MC A95 userguide
Download the MC A95 brochure