Elevate Your Sound

MC X30

Push your listening experience further with the MC X30. Featuring a nude fine line diamond stylus, it offers extraordinary accuracy and resolution, rendering your music and every track with breathtaking detail and dynamic range.

Variants

€699,00

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With the X series, Ortofon shows that genuine progress and technical innovation are still possible even in affordable MC systems.

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

A New Benchmark in Analog Perfection

In the world of vinyl playback, the cartridge is where the journey begins. A pivotal point where music rises from the groove and transforms into immersive soundscapes. With the MC X Series, Ortofon sets a new benchmark in MC cartridge design, pushing premium Moving Coil technology to unprecedented levels of performance.

Silver Coils in the Ortofon MC X Phono Cartridge

Exceptional Signal Clarity

/Pure Silver
Coil System

All MC X cartridges feature coils wound with high-purity silver wire. The use of premium materials is to ensure exceptional signal clarity, delivering sound with unmatched precision and preserving every detail without interference.

Maximum Magnetic Efficiency

Magnet system

The MC X Series introduces a newly developed magnet system with a one-piece pole cylinder integrated into a rear magnet yoke. Engineered for maximum magnetic efficiency and paired with pure silver coils, this configuration ensures a clean, powerful signal path that elevates overall performance.

Ortofon_MC_X_Cartridge_Optimized_Magnet_System

Precision Engineering for Unmatched Stability

Custom-Developed Rubber Dampers

In-house produced and developed rubber compounds form the core of the MC X Series’ mechanical damping system. Rubber dampers are essential for controlling the physical movement of the coils, maintaining stability, minimizing unwanted vibrations, and enabling precise coil motion. The result is superior tracking, reduced distortion, and musical accuracy.

MIM-Molded Honeycomb-Structured Core

Experience the depth.
Hear every detail.

At the core of the MC X Series is an advanced honeycomb-structured stainless-steel frame, created using Metal Injection Molding (MIM) technology. This refined construction ensures superior mechanical stability, providing an ideal foundation for precise and accurate sound reproduction.

MIM-Molded Honeycomb-Structured Core used in Ortofon MC X Phono Cartridge

Modern Elegance with Distinctive Design

The Shape of Sound

The MC X Series embodies modern elegance with a distinctive design that seamlessly complements the tonearm. From afar, its silhouette speaks of minimalist refinement; up close, its intricate detailing reveals craftsmanship at every level. True to Ortofon’s signature aesthetic, it’s a sophisticated fusion of form and function.

The fantastic MC X30

With the X series, Ortofon is not simply building another round of affordable MC cartridges. With the four models, the Danes want to redefine what one can expect from MC cartridges in their respective price ranges. With the Ortofon MC X30 at 700 euros, this succeeds particularly well in our ears.

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

The fantastic MC X30

…the Ortofon Fineline, despite its very good resolution, always stays on the soft, silky side of the spectrum. Yet from this basic character it reveals an enormous versatility that repeatedly surprised me in the test.

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

The fantastic MC X30

With the MC X30, Hounds Of Love sounds like a brand-new record...

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

The fantastic MC X30

With the X series, Ortofon shows that genuine progress and technical innovation are still possible even in affordable MC systems. At the same time, the X30 remains characteristically a true Ortofon, prioritizing neutrality and versatility over effects and spectacle.

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

The fantastic MC X30

A refined, effect-free system that is perfectly at home in medium or slightly heavier tonearms.

Bernhard Rietschel

LowBeats, Aug 2025

Specifications

  • Channel balance at 1 kHz
    0.5 dB
  • Output voltage at 1 kHz, 5cm/sec
    0.4 mV
  • Channel separation at 1 kHz
    26 dB
  • Frequency response 20 Hz - 20 kHz
    +/-1 dB
  • Compliance, dynamic, lateral
    15 μm/mN
  • Cantilever material
    Aluminium
  • Stylus type
    Nude Fine-Line
  • Stylus tip radius
    r/R 8/40 μm
  • Stylus suspensions
    Ortofon exclusive
  • Coil system
    Quad coils
  • Tracking force, recommended
    2.0 grams
  • Internal impedance, DC resistance
    6 Ω
  • Coil wire material
    High-purity silver
  • Cartridge weight
    8.6 grams
  • Recommended load resistance
    > 50 Ω

Customer Reviews

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R
Rico G.
A diamond tiped masterpiece

​Ortofon MCX30: A Cartridge That's as Smart as It Looks
​By Rico Gusman
​The world's longest catwalk was on Southend Pier, a fact I'm happy to repeat until it becomes a universal truth. But when I'm not recounting my past glories or wrestling two little dogs for control of the remote, I'm at home, enjoying the good life. And that good life includes music, played on a system that's been assembled with the same meticulous care I once put into designing the world's first totally digital magazine. Which brings us to the Ortofon MCX30, a cartridge that has settled into my SRM Azure deck and Origin Live Zephyr tonearm like it was always meant to be there.
​Now, I've seen a lot of things come and go in my time, from the Amiga to the latest bit of tech that promises to change the world but just ends up being a glorified screen. But some things, like the simple elegance of a vinyl record, just can't be beaten. And to get the most out of it, you need a cartridge that's a true work of art.
​At £599, the MCX30 isn't just a bit of kit; it's a statement. A statement that says you're serious about your tunes, but you haven't lost your mind entirely. And let me tell you, it's worth every single penny. The first thing you notice isn't a blast of sound, but a sense of... quiet. The background noise just seems to disappear. It's like the moment you get a brand new pair of specs and suddenly realise you've been living in a blurry world for years. Everything becomes clear and defined.
​This translates directly into its sophisticated sound profile. It doesn't shout; it speaks. The soundstage is wide, with instruments placed precisely where they should be. It's not a boisterous, in-your-face presentation. It's elegant, controlled, and deeply engaging. You hear the full texture of a guitar string being plucked, the subtle breath of a vocalist, and the ambient hum of the recording studio. It's a proper grown-up sound.
​Then there are the excellent highs. This is where the MCX30 really earns its stripes. They're pristine, extended, and utterly without sizzle or harshness. It's a delicate balance to get right, but Ortofon has nailed it. Cymbals shimmer and bells ring with a clarity that's almost angelic. I'm not a religious man, but listening to some of my old records with this cartridge, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's a celestial choir hiding in the grooves. It’s glorious.
​And finally, the very pure bass. Now, a lot of cartridges get this wrong. They give you a woolly, bloated bass that just gets in the way. Not here. The MCX30 delivers bass that's taut, deep, and perfectly controlled. It's not about boom and rumble; it's about foundation and rhythm. The bass notes are distinct and punchy, providing a solid anchor for the rest of the music without ever hogging the limelight. It's the kind of bass that makes you tap your foot, not wince.
​To sum it all up, the Ortofon MCX30 is a class act. Paired with the SRM Azure and Origin Live Zephyr, it’s a setup that delivers a refined, detailed, and utterly listenable experience. It’s got all the composure of a creative director presenting a campaign to a difficult client, but none of the stress. And at £599, it's a bargain for the years of listening pleasure it will provide. It might just be the best £599 I've spent since I bought that giant foam finger to celebrate my last big creative win.

​Rico Gusman is a retired Creative Director living in the UK with his two small dogs, and not enough vinyl.

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