Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Ortofon A90 Phono Cartridge by Paul Tobin

Model:	A90
Category:	Phono Cartridge
Suggested Retail Price:	$4200
Description:	Low output moving coil cartridge
Manufacturer URL:	Ortofon
Model Picture:	View

Review by Paul Tobin on January 22, 2010 at 23:27:27
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for the A90

The Ortofon A90 is the most expensive cartridge I've owned.
This tiny transducer cost about the same $ as my Harbeth speakers - which makes the value for money equation look pretty crazy....until you actually listen to it.
The A90 makes my previous cartridge, the Ortofon Jubilee - a cartridge I really liked - sound actually pretty ordinary.

I don't own (nor have I heard) other ultra-expensive cartridges - so this review should be read in the context of comparisons to the Jubilee and my somewhat modest system (compared to some of the super systems where the A90 has found a home).

The A90 is based on the generator/cantilever/stylus of the Ortofon Windfeld, but places this motor in a minimal body made by Selective Laser Melting (SLM). You can google this emerging construction technology - it's actually pretty interesting and I'm betting we'll see more of it in cartridge construction. Output is a lowish 0.27mV so you'll need about 60dB of gain - which works fine for me.
Perhaps because of it's superior performance, the A90 is very sensitive to micro setup adjustments in VTA/VTF/Azimuth/AS and is probably best used with a fully adjustable tonearm to extract it's best performance. I initially loaded the A90 at 100ohms - and it sounded great - but later dropped the phono loading to 47ohms which appears to work best in my system. Tracking, like the Jubilee, is superb.

Imediately upon installing the A90 in the Phantom arm, I was struck by the dramatic increase in clarity and transparency compared to the Jubilee. The soundstage is larger in width and depth, but it's the vivid clarity of the performers/instruments extending over the whole frequency range that made this cartridge fundimentally different to other cartridges I'd used. The A90 is also very quiet in the groove which enhances it's vividness.

This clarity is not some frequency balance trick, instruments sound natural and lifelike with plenty of 'body'. Well recorded cymbals/bells etc sound refreshingly realistic and there is no tipped up high frequency emphasis that plagues some MC cartridges. The highs are almost un-obtrusive - until some high frequency sound cuts into the mix with that vivid clarity. Sibilants are beautifully controlled and naturally rendered. Voices sound impressively natural.
The bass range is solid and quick - drum kits have plenty of stick and skin sound and are reproduced without the fogginess and blunting that even a good cartridge like the Jubilee introduces.

Dynamics are much more lively than the Jubilee - especially on small scale performances, where I found the Jubilee could sound reticent. I'd often push up the volume when listening to the Jubilee to try to gain liveliness. The A90 also remains unclogged and dynamic when things get busy (the Jubilee was pretty good at this end of the scale too, though not with the same ease as the A90).

The best thing about the A90 is how it all comes together. I can talk about the clarity, vividness, soundstaging, naturalness, but it doesn't convey how this cartridge plays music. Probably the greatest virtue of this cartridge is how it compels you to play record after record - even stuff you'd passed over as musically average - and puts you in touch with the musicians. The A90 will give you full access to your collection because it seems to get the best out of every record. Less well recorded material is not pulled to pieces but is presented in its best light. The A90 is amazingly evenhanded, but you will find the sound changing dramatically from record to record and even track to track - as will be the case when the cartridge is not imposing a 'fingerprint' on the music.

Value for money is a personal thing, but given the distance in performance from the already fine Jubilee, the A90's price seems well justified to me......though of course I wish it was less costly!

Product Weakness:	None that I can identify with my equipment - perhaps the high price, though it's hard to argue with the performance.
Product Strengths:	Amazing vividness/clarity and liveliness compared to previously used cartridges. Neutrality gets the best out of every record.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Plinius 8200p Mk2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Plinius CDLAD
Sources (CDP/Turntable): VPI TNT/Phantom II/Plinius M14 phono
Speakers: Harbeth C7es2
Cables/Interconnects: Silver Audio 'Silver breeze', Chris VH DIY silver, Goertz MI-2
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Rock, Blues, Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH): 6m x 4.3m x 2.7m
Room Comments/Treatments: DIY John Risch panels
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 months
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Plinius 8200p Mk2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Plinius CDLAD
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	VPI TNT/Phantom II/Plinius M14 phono
Speakers:	Harbeth C7es2
Cables/Interconnects:	Silver Audio 'Silver breeze', Chris VH DIY silver, Goertz MI-2
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, Blues, Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	6m x 4.3m x 2.7m
Room Comments/Treatments:	DIY John Risch panels
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner