Description

The Ortofon Xpression High-End cartridge

The state of the art product, the Ortofon Xpression represents a combination of three elements very characteristic for Ortofon:

• The cutting edge SLM materials technology pioneered by the MC A90 and SPU 90th Anniversary
• Modification of the generator system introduced with the MC A90 and the MC Windfeld
• Ortofon design tradition

Utilising these three elements we created a new product in order to support our customers of the SPU cartridges and Ortofon tonearms.

The Xpression cartridge bridges the gap between the SPU-type cartridges and High-End cartridgeslike the MC A90 and the MC Windfeld designed for headshell mounting. The result is a high-performance moving coil cartridge with the convenience of a standard headshell connector, which provides a simple and elegant method of directly connecting the generator and tonearm via the Xpression’s one-piece body.

Ortofon Xpression – a distinctive and elegant design

When combined with Ortofon’s world-class knowledge in analogue sound reproduction, the Xpression will undoubtedly provide sound which is literally unsurpassed and simply has to be experienced!

The presentation of the Ortofon Xpression is a continuation of the new paradigm in engineering and manufacturing introduced by the MC A90. Because total freedom from resonance in the audible frequency range is a precondition for optimal sound quality, the design of the Xpression has been dictated by the complete elimination of unwanted resonance,

An engineering feature adding to the damping capability of the Xpression cartridge is the Selective Laser Melting process in which fine particles of stainless steel are welded together, layer-by-layer, to construct a single piece body devoid of unnecessary material. Using this technique the density of the body can be precisely controlled, allowing for extremely high internal damping.

The final result provides absolute freedom from resonances existing in the cartridge body material and allows for the Xpression to be perfectly matched with an extremely wide array of different tonearms

Review quote Xpression

Stereophile September 2018
By Jim Austin

”…Ortofon’s 90th Anniversary SPU is a very fine cartridge. The Xpression is clearly and significantly better. My 90th Anniversary has the characteristic SPU midrange richness and color, but with far fewer compromises at the extremes of audioband. The Xpression has all of that, and it’s better still in the lows and hights… The most important improvement is in the heights. The fundamental tones of higher-pitched instruments and voices, and the even higher-frequency tones that convey color and a sense of space, were almost perfectly articulate and clear… Ambience was reproduced but not exaggerated… The music came across with more drive, more emotional force… The sound got out of the way, which let me focus on the essence of the music, on human expression through sound.

…The Xpression is expensive, but age and experience have shown me that it’s hard to set a budget for experience, including – or especially – the experience of music.”

Since the cartridge length is identical to that of an SPU, the Xpression can easily be fitted onto tonearms without additional concern for proper alignment.

The cartridge height is likewise identical to the SPU height, which makes further VTA adjustments unnecessary.
The length of the cartridge ensures proper match with the SME-mount type tonearms, e.g. SME, Grace, Fidelity Research, SAEC and Micro Seiki brands. Additionally, the mass and compliance properties of the Xpression ensure that a proper match will be achieved with any SPU-compatible arm.
The Xpression can ideally be combined with the TA-110 and TA-210 tonearms. The combination of Xpression, TA-110/TA-210 and ST-80 SE MC transformer gives a supreme experience!

Special features

By combining the utilization of this SLM process and our WRD system, we are confident that the perfect mechanical integration of this cartridge with your tonearm will result in a significant and breathtaking increase in dynamics, staging, resolution and richness.

Also helping to achieve the Xpression’s accuracy and sonic purity the ultrahigh purity silver is used for the internal wiring between generator and standard headshell connector.

Finally, the bottom cover has been constructed from a special proprietary TPE (Thermo-Plastic Elastomer) material, which provides extremely high damping.

Also included is an easy-to-grab finger lift as well as a simple to use stylus guard.