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MC X40

MC X40 is the pinnacle of the MC X Series, designed for the most discerning audiophile. Featuring a nude Shibata diamond stylus mounted on a rigid and lightweight boron cantilever, this cartridge provides unparalleled transparency, speed, and responsiveness.

Honoured with StereoNet’s “Product of the Year” award in the Phono Cartridge category, the MC X40 is celebrated for delivering a “lovely, smooth, delicate and open sound that echoes the character of genuine high-end designs."

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€999,00
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OverviewFeaturesReviewsSpecifications

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.

After molding and sintering, a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) surface treatment is applied to enhance surface appearance and maintain material integrity over time.

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.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

“It doesn’t get much better than this… I couldn’t think of a better cartridge to track the grooves of this reissue than the MC X40.

Bass response was another delight… not just extension but pitch reproduction too… like I was hearing it for the first time.

Strings were individually delineated and superbly layered… resolved and free of any veiling…“

Neil Gader

The Absolute Sound

It doesn’t get much better than this.

“Its trackability was also superb… even on demanding recordings… channel separation was excellent.

Dynamics and transient information were delivered with speed… a natural level of sustain, and spotless transparency…

I couldn’t have been more impressed with the MC X40’s overall performance… it didn’t put a foot wrong in any groove it was asked to track.“

Neil Gader

The Absolute Sound

Generation X

“With the new MC X series, Ortofon has landed at least two, possibly even four big hits. The two Generation X cartridges tested are certainly at the top of the charts in their price ranges.“

Lothar Brandt

Audio+Stereoplay, September 2025

Awarded “Product of the Year”

“Honoured with StereoNet’s “Product of the Year” award in the Phono Cartridge category, the MC X40 is celebrated for delivering a “lovely, smooth, delicate and open sound that echoes the character of genuine high-end designs.”“

StereoNet

Ortofon's "Top Gun" X40 MC X Series Delivers the Sonic Goods

“...the X40 out of the box produced the sonic gut punch and more.

…it was surprisingly easy to "let go" of the 90X and just settle into the X40. That is how good it is, particularly in terms of timbral balance, macrodynamics, image solidity, soundstage depth and three-dimensionality.
This cartridge's sonic performance is world's beyond the old Quintet Black

1/4“

Michael Fremer

Tracking Angle, July 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
    Boron
  • Stylus type
    Nude Shibata
  • Stylus tip radius
    r/R 6/50 μm
  • Stylus suspensions
    Ortofon exclusive
  • Coil system
    High-purity silver Coil wire
  • Tracking force, recommended
    2.0 grams
  • Internal impedance, DC resistance
    6 Ω
  • Coil wire material
    High-purity silver
  • Cartridge body material
    MIM Stainless Steel & Honeycomb Core Structure
  • Cartridge weight
    8.6 grams
  • Recommended load resistance
    > 50 Ω
    • Download user guide

Cartridge Dimensions

Open Dimensions Chart

Experience analog perfection at every level

Explore the MC X Series