Historical Product

MC Anna Diamond

The MC Anna Diamond model represents the highest echelon of Moving Coil cartridges. As its name suggests, the MC Anna Diamond uses a Diamond cantilever that, in combination with the Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, offers extreme transparency, speed, and responsiveness beyond that of any other combination.

This state of the art product, representative of numerous Ortofon design elements and ideas, is truly exemplary of the highest degree of performance possible in contemporary analog playback technology.

High-end materials and benefits of technology

The MC Anna Diamond employs a greater degree of control over vibrations by a way of a newly-improved Wide-Range armature damping system. By extending the armature beyond the coils, it can interface directly with the rubber dampers, which sandwich a small heavy disc of platinum. This offers more consistent movement, and thereby better stereo perspective and transient delineation. System resonances are also damped by the use of the Thermo Plastic Elastomer (TPE) compound which comprises the bottom cover assembly.

The MC Anna Diamond makes use of Ortofon’s Replicant 100 diamond, known for its thin and light profile and extraordinarily large contact surface. Since the Replicant 100 is closest to the shape of the cutting stylus, it can trace with accuracy unparalleled by any other needle in existence. Special polishing of the diamond along with the use of a Diamond cantilever provides the best possible interface between the stylus and armature, owing to its hardness and crystal structure. 

Higher efficiency magnet system

The optimized geometry of the magnet system combined with choice materials like neodymium and iron-cobalt offers an unprecedented consistency of the flux density within the system’s air gap. Due to an increase of active material inside of the magnet system, the magnetic field strength is delivered more uniformly, allowing each coil to sense identical flux density regardless of its position. Because of this, dynamics and impulse linearity are preserved to an overwhelming extent.

The use of this optimized magnet system allows for the use of a lightweight, non-magnetic armature, which also provides noteworthy benefit to the dynamic capability of the MC Anna Diamond. The reason for this is that our specially designed precision moulded non-magnetic armature does not alter the magnetic field during movement. Hence, when combined with ultrapure oxygen-free copper coil wire, it delivers perfect reproduction of the cantilever movements without compromise. The material applied for the armature has very high strength and rigidity.

STYLUS RAKE ANGLE (SRA)

With a complex stylus shape like the Replicant 100, special attention must be paid to positioning the diamond in the groove. The SRA (see figure in the left) is very important to the performance of the Replicant 100 stylus, and the long contact surface (the sharp edge) of the diamond should be almost perpendicular to the record surface when viewed from the side. The angle between the record surface and the cantilever is close to 23 degrees when SRA is 90 degrees.

A perfect starting point is to set the tonearm parallel to the record surface and to use the recommended tracking force. The contact surface will be close to perpendicular to the record surface with this setting. The SRA can now gradually and carefully be changed be adjusting VTF and, if necessary, the tonearm height. The target should be an SRA around 92 degrees, determined by the listening experience. In other words, the point of the stylus should point slightly toward the tonearm base.

Design elements

The cartridge housing and the body are made in Titanium with the SLM and High-performance iron-cobalt alloy is applied for select parts of the magnet system. The Wide-Range armature damping system provides complete elimination of unwanted resonance.

The Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond, thin and light, with an extraordinarily large contact surface, provides tracing accuracy unparalleled by any other needle in existence. The use of Diamond cantilever in the MC Anna Diamond has prompted a paradigm shift in our understanding of analog reproduction.

The improvements found in the use of a Diamond cantilever have redefined the boundaries of analog reproduction, presenting greater inner detail, subtlety, and depth like never before.

In the video,  Leif Johannsen, Ortofon's Chief of Acoustics and Development, elaborates on his considerations about the cantilever design and the rubber suspension choice - the decisive factors in creating this true successor of the MC Century.

A range of compatibilities

Output impedance of 6 ohm and a low-to-medium output voltage of 0.2 mV make the MC Anna Diamond perfect partner for most MC phono preamps and step-up transformers, including the Ortofon ST-80 SE MC transformer. The cartridge is a perfect match for a high-mass, high-precision tonearm with gimbaled bearing.

The MC Anna Diamond focuses on providing music in its entirety without compromise, offering an ideal balance of precision and musicality with fine attention to both micro and macro dynamics combined with fluid tonality and texture. Considering Ortofon’s world-class knowledge in analog sound reproduction, the new MC Anna Diamond will undoubtedly provide sound which is literally unsurpassed and simply has to be experienced.

Review quotes and Awards

www.dagogo.com 

February 23, 2021

"... The Anna brings out every nuance in exceptional detail without sounding remotely abrasive or hard, atop a beautiful rendering of the toms and cymbals, especially. This cartridge is particularly good at capturing dynamic shadings. Same with the saxophones: all the detail right down to the mouthpiece buzz. As with most Blue Notes, the cymbals are slightly dry and there may be a hair of roll-off, but that won’t bother all the listeners at your next birthday party. Just let it play. Once again, the soundstage was wide with an almost holographic recreation of the instruments. There was tangible space and air surrounding each instrument, while the entire ensemble was surrounded by the acoustic of the venue. Depth was good. With the right source material, this cartridge excels at creating dense three-dimensional images ..."


HiFi Choice

May 2020, Editors' Choice

"Diamonds are forever ... In short, the MC Anna Diamond excels in pretty much every respect ... As Ortofon’s flagship moving-coil offering, the MC Anna Diamond has plenty to live up to and it’s far from cheap. However, it effortlessly shatters all expectations with a performance that is among the very best that we’ve heard. From its stunning design and impeccable engineering to the way that it drags even the dullest recordings into sharp relief, this is a very special pick-up indeed. Proof if ever it were required that when done properly, vinyl can sound simply heavenly."


HiFi News

November 2019

"...Almost supernatural soundstaging is at the root of its appeal...
...Possessing a sound that can take your breath away, this beautifully engineered and built special MC cartridge can lay claim to being one of the best cartridges ever made..."

Stereophile.com, September 2019

By Michael Fremer

"...Spectacular sonic performance
...From top to bottom, the Anna D is as tonally ... balanced and neutral-sounding as any I’ve heard... And, where appropriate, it can sound warm, sweet, and fully fleshed out harmonically...

...The MC Anna Diamond is a cartridge for all musical genres. Its frequency balance is as neutral as I’ve heard. Its dynamic expression at the micro and macro levels (and in between) left nothing on the table, and its response at the frequency extremes was fully articulated. It could be raunchy when required, or silky smooth and refined. It never left me wishing for more or less of anything, whether I was playing symphonic music, small jazz combos, female vocals, or ’90s-era grunge...

...There are 10-carat pretenders and 10-carat stars. The MC Anna Diamond is a star. "
Read the full review here 


HiFi News, September 2019

Review: David Price Lab: Paul Miller

"...this is one of the very best moving-coil cartridges I have ever heard.
...In essence, this cartridge excels at everything. There’s nothing that any sane analogue addict could criticise it for – except perhaps a slight lack of romance, of artificial coloration and maybe even an airof mystery. For me personally, that’s not so much a criticism as an observation... 
...The MC Anna... does not attempt to add or subtract when it comes to what’s in the record groove, preferring instead to communicate without fear or favour...
...It has mesmerising imaging abilities, sublime clarity and insight, not to mention a superb sense of a recording’s dynamics...

...To my ears, the most profound gift of this cartridge is its almost supernatural
stereo soundstaging.This is at the root of the MC Anna Diamond’s appeal as it frames every recording beautifully...

...Explosive dynamics were another huge attraction. This pick-up’s ability to trace the difference between, say, a gently brushed snare drum and one struck with the full force of a stick is superb...

... the MC Anna Diamond can ferret out all the ‘gaps’ in the music with great skill. The loud bits go seriously loud, while the quiet bits fall eerily silent. This quality ensures that even light, relatively easy-listening material sounds highly animated and emotionally engaging.

...Beautifully engineered and built and possessing a sound that can take your breath away, this seriously special design can lay claim to being one of the best cartridges ever made..."

The MC Anna Diamond
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 response  -  20 Hz - 20 kHz +/- 1.5 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force  -  80 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral  -  9 µm/mN
Stylus type  -  Special polished Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 on Diamond Cantilever
Stylus tip radius  -  r/R 5/100 µm
Tracking force, recommended  -  2.4 g (24 mN)
Tracking force range - 2.4-2.8 g (24-28 mN)
Tracking angle  -  23°
Internal impedance, DC resistance  -  6 Ohm

Recommended load impedance    > 10 Ohm
Cartridge body material  -  SLM Titanium
Cartridge colour  -  Silver/Black
Cartridge weight  -  16 gram

LW-800S leadwires enclosed the package.