Ortofon MC X40 MC Phono Cartridge

Get Wowing Transparency, Speed, Responsiveness, and Detail During Analog Playback with the Ortofon MC X40 Moving-Coil Cartridge: Features Nude Shibata Stylus Mounted on a Boron Cantilever

Known for decades for its superb series of moving-coil cartridges, Ortofon pushes price-to-performance ratio to a new echelon with its MC X line. Equipped with coils wound with high-purity silver wire for excellent signal clarity and interference-free delivery, MC X40 features a nude Shibata diamond stylus mounted on a rigid and lightweight boron cantilever for wondrous transparency, speed, and responsiveness. 

Housed in a MIM-molded honeycomb-structured steel frame to ensure the sort of mechanical stability required for analog accuracy, the core of MC X40 is further aided by a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) surface treatment to maintain material integrity over a long period of time. Inside, a newly developed magnet system with a one-piece pole cylinder integrated into a rear-magnet yoke is paired with silver coils, a combination that produces a powerful, clean signal path and tremendous efficiency. Last but not least, in-house-made rubber compounds comprise the core of the mechanical damping system, acting to minimize unwanted vibrations and enable desired coil motion — both of which pay dividends when it comes to tracking, low-distortion playback, and focus. 

Completed with a minimalist silhouette, MC X40 outputs 0.4mV and offers 0.5dB channel balance at 1kHz. Weighing 8.6 grams, MC X40 takes its role as the MC X flagship with utmost seriousness and offers listening experiences awash with studio-like detail, dynamics, and definition. 

"[The] Ortofon MC X40 delivered peak-level mid-price phonography. You'd have to spend thousands more for improvements that would be noticeable every day."
—Stereophile

"[It’s] a privilege to hear a new moving-coil which does everything right, nothing wrong and even looks upmarket. If I were churlish enough to ask for a wider soundstage or a tad more bass weight, I’d still guess the MC X40 cost around £3000."
—Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product

"I don’t need to tell fellow audiophiles just how easy it is to throw money at upgrading an audio system. We’ve all done it. The trick, however, is not spending the money but spending it well. For a little more than a grand, I present to you the Ortofon MC X40."
—Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, 2026 Product of the Year Award (Dedicated Room Edition)