Anyone tried the Ortofon Concorde century Cartridge?

An interesting fact that Concorde originally was an MC cartridge, not MM.

Vintage catalog with these models with more info here
And the Universal versions (better known as OM today)

Here is the specs for vintage Concorde MC200 and MC100 LOMC cartridges. 

There are many problems with modern Concorde cartridges, one of the problem is lack of connection on tonearm, another problem is cracked styli (plastic holder often cracks on the top).

If you like headshell integrated cartridges you might know this one ?
Or maybe that red beauty ?

Concorde may look good, but it’s a mediocre cartridge and the anniversary model is nothing but a marketing trick, they did it before with Concorde Gold for Technics LTD models.

Thanks for the info

i did own the Ortofon MC Anna Diamond for a few months, which was similar to the Ortofon MC Century. both fantastic cartridges and a whole different level than those others.

i still have a standard MC Anna, and previously owned a couple A90's.

really like the top level Ortofon's.

I read on a post somewhere, when the Concord century was released a couple years back, that the sound sits somewhere between the Bronze and Black. Not as warm/veiled sounding as the Bronze, not as analytical as the Black. Basically, the best of both worlds. The sound sample thats on youtube makes it seem like a pleasant offering (of course, one can't base decisions on youtube sound demos.)

i did own the Ortofon MC Anna Diamond for a few months, which was similar to the Ortofon MC Century. both fantastic cartridges and a whole different level than those others.

MC Century and Concorde Century MM are completely different.
-MC Century is $12 000 cartridge
-Concorde Century is $750 MM cartridge.

OP asking for Concorde MM cartridge, anniversary edition.

Oh yes. Thanks for correction. I meant to point that out in my previous post. 

This is what you meant ?
If you’re looking for 40 Anniversary Concorde from KAB then Fine Line or Fritz Geiger option is the best.

The price is high and you can’t change the alignment method using Concorde cartridge, there is no adjustment of overhang. This is really not the best cartridge and instead of paying that much you can buy some amazing MM or MI cartridges from the past with much better sound quality than any Concorde with any type of styli. This is MM cartridge and cantilever is very cheap and soft aluminum, again, you can pay the same price for a better cartridge with advanced cantilever, stylus.

KAB offers some upgrades for the most popular (none audiophile) gear and it’s good for those who already have that gear and willing to upgrade a bit.

But the best upgrade is to buy another cartridge from the start. I tried all Concorde models in the past (15-20 years ago), it was $150 cartridges for professional needs, they are low compliance designed for high tracking force. An entry level cartridge for high price (for an entry level) and any simple $100 Grado MI killing it!

If you want an audiophile grade cartridge then Stanton CS-100 WOS, Pickering XSV/4000, Pioneer PC-1000 mkII, Grace F9, Victor X1IIe is the way to go with $500-750 budget max.

Have you listened to the Ortofon Concorde Century? 

Here is everything you need to know about Concorde Century.

This just another cartridge in Concorde MM family, the stylus profile is great and the compliance is higher than older Concorde (i tried all of them), but it is still a Concorde, just with better stylus (FineLine) for $750.

Ortofon claimed it’s equal to 2M family in terms of sound, but as i said you can’t adjust this cartridge and this is disadvantage. I know for sure that 2M series can be easily outperformed by those vintage MM and MI i have mentioned earlier.

Ortofon also claimed this is not a DJ cartridge like any other Concorde here. This is good point, because all those standard Concorde are high output but very thin and muddy sounding cartridges compared to cheaper Grado DJ carts. But i’m pretty sure they are selling millions of Concorde for club and DJs, they are very robust at high tracking force and people love them, but the sound of many other professional cartridges are so much better (Grado, Stanton, Pickering, Shure...). Back in the days professional standard was much higher, Grace made Disco models (very rare today), old Stanton was very nice, here is an old Stanton flyer. And finally this article is very interesting.

Also i want to mention vintage Ortofon M20FL SUPER with FineLine stylus. This forgotten MM cartridge was so cheap ($60) when many audiogonners purchased it and raved about it 10 years ago on this forum, maybe not so cheap today ($150 for this cartridge is a steal). I have NOS stylus on the shelf and this is how it looks under my macro lens.

Now back to Concorde, i'm not sure why it's $750, probably because it's limited edition. For $750 anyone can find the best MM with Boron, Ruby or Beryllium cantilevers and greatest diamonds. 

Concorde Century Specs are not very promising:

Output voltage at 1000 Hz, 5cm/sec. - 5.5 mV
Channel balance at 1 kHz - 1 dB
Channel separation at 1 kHz - 26 dB
Channel separation at 15 kHz - 15 dB
Frequency range at - 3dB - 20-29.000 Hz
Frequency response - 20-20.000 + 2 / - 0 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force - 70 µm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral - 16 µm/mN
Stylus type - Nude Fine Line
Stylus tip radius - r/R 8/40 µm
Tracking force range - 1.6-2.0g (16-20 mN)
Tracking force, recommended - 1.8 g (18 mN)
Tracking angle - 20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance - 1,2 kOhm
Internal inductance - 630 mH
Recommended load resistance - 47 kOhm
Recommended load capacitance - 150-300 pF
Cartridge colour, body/stylus - Chrome
Cartridge weight - 18.5 g

Thanks

The Century specs above look to be quite close to the 2m Bronze. 

"For $750 anyone can find the best MM with Boron, Ruby or Beryllium cantilevers and greatest diamonds."

The only thing that one cannot get better anywhere else, maybe even for less money, is.....Concorde.

I have never heard this particular cartridge, but have a hard time believing it is not decent. Sound is only a part of the appeal. The only worry is how long will shiny chrome replacement styli be available. One would not want to buy the cartridge and have to use black replacement in a few years.

Dear @aberyclark  : for to many years to remember now and as @mikelavigne  I owned and own Ortofon cartridges along other over 150-200 MM/MI/IM/MC cartridges.

Ortofon is a warranty of excellence and nothing more and always will be " there " for you in the future as you need it.

I owned de Concorde good cartridge for those times.

Don't be worried about and go a head with it and take advantage of that offer you have.

chackster is a seller so do not take very seriously because he is not taking care of you but only your $$$$


Regards and enoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

WTF? 

I just purchased the 78 version from KAB and it sounds wonderful. I still think I will find a Concorde Century to go with my KAB 40 Concorde. 

Lol @rauliruegas
I’ve purchased 14 vintage carts from @chakster , 5 vintage minty/NOS arms, a Victor TT101 in pristine condition and have NEVER had a problem with his service or recommendations. Not many people here do as much research or have the experience listening to these glorious analog pieces as he does. I’m guessing Raul was just joking, if not, he’s insulting chakster’s intelligence. I can’t imagine not shopping at this store. It brings me such joy. Those that have been on Audiogon for awhile know who's telling the truth and who's a crazy person. 

Dear @knollbrent : Look, first than all I’m not insuklting any one and I don’t posted nothing that many Agoners already knew about.

Now, iof you go to an audio store trying to buy some audio items the sellers down there normalyy will "care " to give you advise ( first than all. ) on the audio items that gives them the higher margin of $$$ no matters what because that’s a busines$ and its way of life.

Only a very few sellers really take care of your true needs with out think in $$$ as first target and that seller is exactly the same.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/who-needs-a-mm-cartridge-type-when-we-have-mc

I started that thread in 2008 and that seller started in Agon in 2010. I always support vintage cartridges but that does not means that I know that today designs are truly excellent and you can be sure that each time you need the manufacturer today models support in any way you will have it. Something you can’t have from vintage MM cartridges because normally we can’t find out new stylus replacements and even if we find out vintage could has problems that we can’t know: suspension, coils, alignment and the like.

I like to help any gentleman that post here and I try to do it in the best way I can.

Now, if he is a seller as you confirm it why does not disclose it. Do you know why? because then the moderators can banned from his " free " audio store named Agon.

What he does is dishonest and even that I never report it about and I don’t care to do it. It's dishonest too because if some one ask for vintage MM cartridgesthat he does not sells then he posted here that those cartridges he does not carry on are not good enough or have several false " problems " and the like and never says that LOMC ( vintage or not ) are good as no MM can be.

R.

@rauliruegas it's possible to think dollar signs and take care of the client. You're not good a business man if you don't. Eating cabbage soup every day and living under a bridge is not something I want to do. 

Dear @knollbrent  : ""   have the experience listening to these glorious analog pieces as he does. """

You are a newcomer/rookie, rigth? because all the gentlemans that posted in that linked thread have the experiences with those glorious vintage MM/MI cartridge, me between them.

He really has no deep experiences about and he has not the rigth room/system to make any cartridge can shows at its best, unfortunastelly his system is rounding in the mediocrity/average level.

He is very good photografer and very good " sealing " through internet and you can buy all the cartridges you already bougth if you go to Yahoo Japan auctions and you can get for at least 50% off what you paid for or through HI Dido too.But that's not the main issue.

Experience say you?: this is one of his last post in Agon in this thread where the main issue under discussion was/is cable capacitance and he said this " experienced " advise:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/problem-with-phono-stage/post?postid=2036067#2036067

Enough. Be happy. 

R.

hifi dido.

The funniest thing is that when I tried to buy something from our Mexican the price was insane, at least twice as much compared to what I can find and buy myself. Most of Raul’s carts are refurbished, retipped or "refreshed" in his terminology (oops).
Never mind ...

Oh, this is just additional studio monitor for my "mediocrity/average level" home system :) Arrived last week to my door, it’s 45kg DMT 15 mkII (look on the down left corner). It’s huge (15’ inch) Tannoy driver (98db), one of the best ever from Tannoy, made for professionals, not for audiophiles. Here is a flyer with info about that series of monitors. 

Upgraded Zu Audio Druid MK4 (101db) was my main speakers for years.

My First Watt F2J current source amp (only 100 units made by Nelson Pass) has been voiced with Tannoy, designed especially for crossoverless high efficient speakers that I love!

Yamamoto A-08s 45 tube amp for Zu Audio Druids is another one I use.

I am a huge fan of low power single ended amps and super high efficient speakers like Zu Audio or Tannoy (I have smaller Tannoy too).

All the best MM and MC cartridges and about 8 top quality Direct Drive turntables are here.

My room has been measured and treated by Vicoustic (Portugal) with absorbers and diffusers, not completely finished yet, but it’s a long process.

Some people can only dream about "mediocrity/average level" system like this.
And BTW at 44 we don’t have a loss of hearing yet, so I’m sure I can hear everything in my system with my carts, amps and speakers.

P.S. And all cartridges in my collection are fully original NOS samples (not a refurbished/retipped junk). Some cartridges are impossible to find even in Japan, so don’t be silly.

At the end of the day, all I can say is that my KAB sys40 Concorde sounds FANTASTIC. Much more detailed and punchy than my great sounding AT 540VM. I'm sure the 2m black may sound a smidge nicer, however $300 nicer...I'm not sure

What's next to argue about?  If I were to hazard a guess, this post would be deleted.  Anyway, Chakster's woofer is bigger than my woofer.

Quite apart from the arguments about who is more expert and who has nicer stuff or bigger woofers, I can honestly say that I was never fully aware that Chakster is a "seller".  He has candidly mentioned on one or two or more occasions that he is planning to sell this or that (as we all do from time to time), but I do not think of him as being "in the business".  The one or two times that I have seen items for sale on eBay that resemble items recently touted here by Chakster, he has denied being the seller, in response to my direct questions.  It makes no difference to me one way or the other, but I do think that persons who are "sellers", meaning those who are actively selling an item that he or she has been praising in the forum discussions, ought to self identify.

@lewm What people don’t understand is the humor sometimes, the "store" Brent is talking about does not exist, except for him as we chat over the phone often (about vintage hi-fi). I am always happy to help another passionate collector as i am identifying myself as a collector too (not a boring audiophile who can hear a distortion from the other side of the earth).

At the same time Brent helping me with original records i’m buying from US private sellers, before it goes to Russia (in one big potato sack) it goes to him one by one. Without selling some cartridges from my personal collection during covid-19 lockdown it would be hard to survive and I appreciate his interest and support (and some other audiogon members too). While our government never paid any penny.

Nearly all MM /MI cartridges (except my own discoveries) have been praised here on audiogon before I even joined the forum. Whenever I want to sell something it’s on my UKAM or ebay and it’s not a secret, guess we’re all have private accounts like that. However, my trades with friends is nobody’s business.

The argument our Mexican repeating from time to time is plain BS. In his logic every record collector who sell on discogs is "a seller", but only very reach people can buy something without selling something and i am not reach. You might heard about saving and my principle to buy what’s the best for the money (not what is the most expensive in audio). This is what I recommend to others (only if I really like it myself). We’re talking about vintage analog gear here.

P.S. About Tannoy (woofers as you said):
If you read carefully what our Mexical calls "mediocrity/average level" in this post he praised in another post. Yes, the Tannoy speakers in my system (and the latest amp for them is SIT-2 (finally) that I am awaiting from France in November). I wish every "mediocrity/average level" system could be like this :)

Im still really enjoying my KAB Concorde with 40 stylus. One thing that has really surprised me is how good a 78 rpm can sound ( using the 78 stylus). I have some near mint big band 78s and they really pop. Even with the RIAA curve of my phono preamp.