Historical product

SPU A95

The SPU 95th Anniversary model represents the pinnacle of SPU cartridges. Much like Robert Gudmandsen’s revolutionary ideas, which catapulted the SPU to market prominence, endless research and conceptual designs have developed further in this very special SPU A95 model.

The SPU A95 is built with the magnetic system applied in the predecessor SPU 90th Anniversary.

A Nude Elliptical diamond stylus graces the aluminum cantilever, representative of the legacy created by SPUs past, along with a black painted, grinded wood body.

Design, high-end materials, and features

The mechanical structure of the SPU A95 cartridge has also been re-engineered, as well as many of its internal assemblies. At the mechanical heart lies a revolutionary customized SLM (Selective Laser Melting) manufacturing procedure. The use of Titanium in SPU A95 has provided a further improvement to the internal damping capabilities as well as to the overall rigidity of the structure.

Another special feature is the inclusion of the renowned Field Stabilizing Element (FSE) system, which consists of a small cylinder of conductive material placed strategically inside of the magnetic system. FSE guarantees that the force field within the system will remain stable at all times regardless of the movement of the armature.

Review quote

Stereophile, December 2014

By Art Dudley

"... Unsurprisingly, the Ortofon SPU 95 performed well in my Thomas Schick tonearm ... The first things I noticed ... were the enduringly rich, unmistakably SPU-like bass registers of the SPU 95 and the fact that the new pickup sounded somewhat pleasantly refined ... the SPU 95 also impressed with its abundance of musical and sonic detail ... The A95's natural, colorful timbral presentation endured ...

... Speaking of spatial performance, the SPU 95 also bettered the older SPU in its ability to convey depth and perspective and the "wholeness" of individual sounds ... All in all, the SPU 95th Anniversary accomplishes precisely what Ortofon set out to do: It's a well-behaved, notably modern pickup that is quiet and imperturbable in the groove, with lots of detail and a fine sense of space on stereo records—yet, it is also, identifiably, an SPU, with the sort of solid sound and fine sense of drive associated with relatively low-compliance devices."

The SPU A95 technical data

Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. - 0.3 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz - 1 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz - 23 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz - 15 dB
Frequency response - 20-20.000 Hz ± 2 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force *) - 70 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 9 µm/mN
Stylus type - Nude Elliptical
Stylus tip radius - r/R 8/18 µm
Tracking force range - 2.5-3.5 g (25-35 mN)
Tracking force, recommended - 3.0 g (30 mN)
Tracking angle - 20°
*) Typical value

Internal impedance, DC resistance - 2 ohm
Recommended load impedance - 10 - 50 ohm
Cartridge body material - Ground wood and resin composite
Frame structure - Titanium
Coilwire material - Silverplated Copper
Cartridge colour - Shiny Black
Cartridge weight - 28 g

Download SPU 95 datasheet
Download SPU series brochure