Ortofon Cadenza Bronze, Blue, Black

I find the Cadenza cartridges to be superb performers that are competitive well beyond their price points. I run the Bronze mounted in an Origin Live Enterprise arm on a Nottingham Dais table, and before I purchased it I discussed the differences between the Blue, Bronze, and Black directly with Louis (the main man) at Ortofon US. He described the Blue as being ultra detailed, and that it tends to match best with systems that are laid back and can benefit from its very revealing perspective. The Bronze is the warmest of the three, with a tonality in the midrange that gives it a very smooth and rich balance along with a subtle sweetness. The Black has more of a neutral perspective and is exceptionally revealing while being a bit less forgiving than the Bronze. The differences are primarily due to differences in the cantilever material and stylus profiles used in each. I have only personally heard the Bronze in my system, but I have to mention that when properly aligned the Ortofon Replicant stylus profile is amazingly quiet in the groove. I have never heard another cartridge that has such silence behind the music. Virtually all of the surface noise heard with other cartridges which I thought was inherent to the vinyl playback process has miraculously vanished. Highly recommended!

I moved into the Cadenza Bronze from an Audioquest 7000 which was an OEM model from Scan Tech, and known as being a bit lean but very detailed. Comparatively the Bronze has better dynamics along with a touch of warmth in the midrange and a sweeter high end, but the tonal warmth is subtle and not overwhelming. Ortofon's neutrality and excellent tracking are still in play, with only a slight amount of tonal richness added.

I have read reviews in Hi-Fi World from the UK where the reviewer auditioned the Cadenza Blue, Bronze, and Black. He concluded that if he had to select his one "desert island" cartridge to live with it would have to be the Bronze due to its slightly warmer and more musical balance.