Головки звукоснимателя — Ortofon Concorde 5S

The Concorde 5S is the cheaper of the pair of Concorde 5 series moving magnet cartridges that Ortofon introduced in May 2025. Like its sibling, it combines cartridge and headshell in one plug-in unit based on the shape of the first Concorde MkI, and Ortofon aims it at newcomers who want reliable playback with little setup work. The launch price was EUR 69 or GBP 65, and Ortofon US lists it at USD 91.99, which places it below the Concorde Music series.

Key specs that matter

Rated output is 4.5 mV at 1 kHz and 5 cm per second. A spherical diamond with an 18 micron radius sits on an aluminium cantilever, and lateral dynamic compliance is 20 microns per mN. The recommended tracking force is 1.8 g. Response spans 20 Hz to 20 kHz within 3 dB, separation between channels is more than 20 dB at 1 kHz, and the two channels are balanced within 2 dB. Coils in a quad arrangement are wound from OFC wire and measure 750 ohm DC resistance. The body is made of polymer and brass, is finished in black, and the whole assembly weighs 18.5 g.

Engineering and use context

A spherical tip rides in the groove at a single radius, so it is less sensitive to small errors in alignment and azimuth than an elliptical profile, which Ortofon cites as the reason the 5S asks for less precision during setup. The same geometry is described by the maker as tolerant of worn records, since the tip sits higher in the groove wall than a finer profile. The brass content of the body adds mass and stiffness at the headshell end of the arm. Installation needs no tools - the unit pushes into an SME-type bayonet socket and is secured by turning the locking collar, with a rubber ring included so the collar cannot be overtightened, and a stylus brush is packed with it. The factory-fixed geometry of the integrated headshell removes the need to set overhang by hand. As the stylus wears, the body accepts Ortofon replacement styli 5S, 5E, 10, 20, 30 and 40, so an owner can later fit an elliptical or more advanced profile to the same generator.

Pairing

The bayonet connector fits S-shaped tonearms with a detachable SME-standard headshell, and arms with a fixed headshell need a conventional half-inch cartridge instead. A load of 47 kohm is specified, matching every standard moving magnet phono input, whether in a separate phono stage, an integrated amplifier or a turntable with its own preamplifier, and the output leaves ample level for modest gain.

Alternatives

The Ortofon Concorde 5E uses the same integrated body with an elliptical 8 by 18 micron diamond and a 4 mV rating for EUR 79.