Ortofon
| Ortofon A / S
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 1918 |
| Seat |
Nakskov Denmark
|
| management | Christen H. Nielsen ( CEO ) |
| Number of employees | approx. 85 (2004) |
| sales | approx. 14 million EUR (2004) |
| Branch | Consumer electronics, microtechnology |
| Website | www.ortofon.com |
Ortofon is an audio accessories manufacturer based in the Danish city of Nakskov . The product range includes cartridges , tonearms and accessories for record playback such as preamplifiers , transformers , mounting templates, cables and medical equipment. Ortofon is the market leader and the world's largest manufacturer of magnetic cartridges for record players , around 500,000 units are sold annually. In the meantime, more than 300 different pickups have been developed.
Company history
The engineers Arnold Poulsen (1889–1952) and Axel Petersen (1887–1971) founded the Electrical Phon Film Company on October 9, 1918 with the aim of developing the first image and sound- synchronous film sound system. Until 1945, however, microphones , measuring and optical devices were primarily produced for the film industry .
In 1946, the first cutting head for manufacturing was mono - records presented. This was able to process frequencies between 5 Hz and 14 kHz. In the same year changed the company name in Fonofilm Industri A / S . The first dynamic pickup was created in 1948. At the beginning of the 1950s the name was finally changed to Ortofon A / S , which is derived from the Greek orto (German correct ) and fon (German sound ).
In 1957, the stereo - record was introduced, built under the direction of Robert Gudmandsen required for their manufacture cutting heads and the first high-quality scanning of SPU -series (short for "Stereo Pick-Up", dt. Stereo Cartridge ). The cartridge, which was presented in 1959, was primarily used in the professional sector (radio and record industry). The system is still produced in various versions today.
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In 1969 Ortofon developed the first magnetic pickup, the M-15 . A year later, production was relocated to the new company headquarters in Nakskov .
In the early 1980s, long-time employee Erik Rohmann took over the American-owned company and dedicated himself to development and research. At the same time, the Concorde series of cartridges was presented, which won the Danish Industrial Design Award and was to establish itself as the standard for use in discos in 1984 with the introduction of the Pro model . In 1981 Ortofon presented the first magnetic pickups of the OM series, which can be operated with very low tracking forces (approx. 15 mN). Scan Micro was founded in 1986 , where scanning diamonds would be manufactured in the future.
On the occasion of the company's 70th anniversary, Ortofon presented the MC 70 Anniversary cartridge in October 1988 , thus establishing the tradition of bringing a special cartridge system onto the market for each anniversary. In 1996 the SPU Meister Silver scanning system came onto the market. In the new edition of the CG-Di and CA-Di mono cartridges, the same technology was used that was used in the new development in 1948. In 1997 Ortofon was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in Denmark.
After the company was taken over by a group of private investors in 2004, the production of high-quality tonearms was resumed. For the company's 90th anniversary, new pickup systems were developed, including the Cadenza series, the A-90 and the MC Windfeld , which was named after the long-standing development engineer Per Windfeld.
Ortofon is now divided into three divisions:
- Ortofon : Record playback for home use (cartridges, tonearms and accessories)
- Ortofon DJ : Record playback for the discotheque sector (pickups, headphones and accessories)
- Ortofon Microtech (since 2010): Engineering services for precision parts, micromechanics, micro-coils made of high-purity copper, hearing aids
Products (selection)
Pickup systems
| Surname | year | principle | Needle grind | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPU series | since 1959 | MC |
spherical (R 18 µm) elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) u. a. |
Originally developed for professional use, different housing designs. |
| M-15 | 1969 | MM | spherical | First Ortofon -Magnetsystem |
| MC x00 series | 1979 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) |
Integrated MC pickup system for direct mounting on suitable tonearms, compared to conventional MC systems very low output voltage (0.09 mV). The shape served as the basis for the Concorde series. |
| Concorde series | since 1984 | MM | spherical (R 18 µm) elliptical (r / R 13/25 µm) |
 |
| OM series | since 1981 | MM | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) FG 70 (r / R 7/70 µm) |
 MM pickup system for very light tonearms, system body can be upgraded with exchangeable stylus inserts; also DJ versions |
| MC 70 Anniversary | 1988 | MC | Replicant 80 (r / R 5/80 µm) | Limited edition on the occasion of the 70th company anniversary. |
| SPU master | 1992 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) | SPU version on the occasion of Robert Gudmandsen's 50th anniversary with the company. |
| MC 7500 | 1993 | MC | Orto-Line (r / R 4.5 / 100 µm) | Limited edition on the occasion of the 75th company anniversary. |
| MC Rohmann | 1995 | MC | Orto-Line (r / R 4.5 / 100 µm) | Named after the long-time managing director Erik Rohmann. |
| MC Jubilee | 1998 | MC | Shibata (r / R 6/50 µm) | Limited edition on the occasion of the 80th company anniversary. For the first time with a metal housing made with Metal Injection Molding (MIM) . |
| SPU Royal N | 1998 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | SPU version without housing for mounting in standard ½ inch system modules. |
| Counterpoint series | 2000 | MC |
FG 80 (r / R 5/80 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) |
Limited edition on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach (models: b , a , c , and h ); Counterpoint b with ruby cantilever . |
| SPU 85 | 2003 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) | Limited edition of 500 pieces on the occasion of the 80th company anniversary; Case made of Japanese beech wood, which is coated with Urushilack . |
| Vinyl Master series | 2004 | MM | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) FG 70 (r / R 5/70 µm) |
For the German market, technically largely identical to the 500 Mk II series , the system body can be upgraded with exchangeable stylus inserts. |
| 2M series | 2007 | MM | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) Shibata (r / R 6/50 µm) |
Images: Ortofon 2M Red, Blue , facet design by the Danish designer Moeller-Jensen.jpg) .jpg)
|
| SPU 90th Anniversary | 2008 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) | Limited edition of 500 pieces on the occasion of the company's 90th anniversary. |
| Wind field | 2008 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | Sintered metal case. Named after Per Windfeld, who worked for Ortofon for 30 years. |
| Cadenza series | 2009 | MC |
Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) FG 70 (r / R 6/70 µm) Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) Shibata (r / R 6/50 µm) |
Follow-up series for Jubilee and Counterpoint . |
| A90 | 2010 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | Limited edition on the occasion of the 90th company anniversary, needle carrier made of boron . |
| Xpression | 2011 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | Integrated pickup system for direct mounting on suitable tonearms, needle carrier made of boron . |
| MC Anna | 2012 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | Named after Anna Jurjewna Netrebko , needle carrier made of boron , housing made of titanium . |
| Quintet series | 2013 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) Fine Line (r / R 8/40 µm) Shibata (r / R 6/50 µm) |
Models: Mono, Red, Blue, Bronze, Black
 |
| SPU 95th Anniversary | 2015 | MC | elliptical (r / R 8/18 µm) |
 |
| MC Anna Diamond | 2019 | MC | Replicant 100 (r / R 5/100 µm) | Further development of the MC Anna, with diamond needle carrier. |
Tonearms
- AS-212S (9 ″ tonearm)
- AS-309S (12 ″ tonearm)
- RS-212D (9 ″ tonearm)
- RS-309D (12 ″ tonearm)
Distribution channels
In 2008 the structure of German sales was reorganized. The company Global Distribution and Lighttech took over the distribution of DJ sub-class, while the hi-division of the company Audio Trade is supervised.
Trivia
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- The preview (trailer) of the film Soul Kitchen begins with a close-up of an Ortofon pickup ( Concorde S ), which is lowered onto a record.
literature
- Frank Wonneberg : The Vinyl Lexicon . Lexikon Imprint Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-226-1 .
Web links
- Report about Ortofon at Fidelity-online.de, August 4, 2013 , accessed on February 14, 2020.
- official German Ortofon website
- official international Ortofon website (English)
- Website of the German Ortofon DJ distribution Lighttech
- Website of the German Ortofon DJ distribution Global Distribution
- Website of the German Ortofon HiFi distribution Audio Trade
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c World’s market leader in turntable cartridges to buy electronics in Cologne. openPR.com, accessed January 8, 2010 .
- ↑ a b Lp No. 4/2008, test of the 2M series , (PDF, 2.65 MB) accessed on February 27, 2020.
- ↑ fidelity-online.de of August 4, 2016, Inside Ortofon , accessed on February 14, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Ortofon Timeline 1918-2015. Ortofon, accessed September 21, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c connect.de of June 23, 2009, Ortofon Windfeld pickup , accessed on February 14, 2020.
- ↑ Homepage. Ortofon, accessed July 19, 2011 .
- ^ Vinyl Preservation Academy. Ortofon DJ, accessed July 19, 2011 .
- ↑ Ortofon is the world-leader in precision engineering. Ortofon Microtech, accessed July 19, 2011 .
- ↑ Fidelity online August 4, 2013, Inside Ortofon , accessed May 4, 2020.
- ↑ Ortofon - MC 100 and MC 200. Ortofon, accessed on September 18, 2015 .
- ↑ Cartridges - Ortofon DJ - Vinyl Preservation Academy. Ortofon, accessed July 19, 2011 .
- ↑ ortofon.com, OM Q.bert , accessed on February 15, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Ortofon historical products. Ortofon, accessed September 21, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Cartridge Selector. Ortofon, accessed September 21, 2015 .
- ↑ Kontrapunkt, catalog (PDF, 773 kB; English), accessed on May 4. 2020.