The late nineteen seventies was a strange time for the vinyl world. On the one hand, there was a feeling that the humble LP record had perhaps had its day as pressing quality nose-dived and sales began to falter. People knew there was a new 'digital disc' around the corner, and it was only a matter of time… On the other, some amazing turntables appeared – such as the compact, parallel-tracking Technics SL-10 – while tonearms such as the Linn Ittok and SME Series III raised the bar for moving coil and moving magnet cartridges, respectively.

Another intriguing product that surfaced at this moment was Ortofon's Concorde cartridge. Launched in 1979, it shared a name with the striking-looking Anglo-French supersonic jet and had similar styling cues thanks to its distinctive nose section. Thanks to its elegant integrated generator and headshell design, it won a Danish Industrial Design Award. Its preset geometry for standard SME (3009-type) tonearms meant that owners of turntables with standard detachable headshells – especially Technics designs such as the (then new) SL-1200MK2 – could simply 'plug in and play' the new Concorde with excellent results.

There was more to it than that, though. The first Concordes came out at the same time as Ortofon's LM series of moving magnet cartridges, and both espoused the company's 'Ultra Low Mass' philosophy. Each Concorde had an effective mass of just 6.5g, meaning it would track better in tonearms designed for higher compliance cartridges. Today, this low-mass philosophy still lives on in Ortofon's OM range, which is the direct successor to the LM line.

UP CLOSE

The original Concorde was a big deal, then. It offered an elegant 'plug and play' solution and was also easily upgradable thanks to interchangeable styli. The range comprised three models – 10, 20, and 30 – offering elliptical, nude elliptical and fine-line diamonds, respectively. Now, in 2025, the new Concorde Music range retains the strengths of the original plus some valuable improvements. First, it features the body upgrades made as part of the Concorde MK II changeover that the Ortofon DJ range underwent a few years ago. These include an additional mass ring, top and bottom panels, a sturdier stylus mounting and replaceable finger lifts.

Inside that striking body, the Concorde Music's generator system is unique in Ortofon's HiFi range because it's based on the DJ range's design – meaning it puts out an unusually high 6mV. A figure of 4mV is more typical of this kind of product – Audio-Technica's popular AT-VM95E puts out precisely this, for example – so the higher figure makes it more phonostage-friendly. It electrically matches a wider variety of moving magnet phono inputs and gives slightly lower noise, too. The cartridge's quad-coil generating system has four split pole pins, all of which are wound in silver-plated oxygen-free copper.

The Bronze version reviewed here is the third highest from the top of the new Concorde Music range – sitting below the Black and flagship Black 250 LVB – and features a Nude Fine Line stylus on an aluminium cantilever. This stylus profile is said to provide more faithful tracking of the groove compared to a standard elliptical due to its narrower and longer shape. The stylus assembly uses a specially developed rubber compound in its suspension. Recommended tracking force is listed as 1.8g, and dynamic, lateral compliance is 15 µm/mN, a medium-ish figure that coincidentally is the same as that quoted for the original entry-level, elliptical-tipped Concorde 10. All versions of the new cartridge are mechanically identical, apart from the choice of stylus.

The primary feature of the Concorde is as handy now as it was when the Bee Gees were topping the pop charts. Its one-piece assembly means very easy fitment for anyone owning a turntable with an S-shaped tonearm and an SME-type headshell. You just remove the old headshell assembly, push in the Ortofon and screw the locking collet until it reaches the end of its travel. Then, you need to balance the arm. Whereas the original Concorde was an ultra-low mass design weighing just 6.5g, the Concorde Music weighs 18g – so it's easier to balance in modern tonearms. It's a joy to hand-cue, too, as you can whizz it over to any part of the disc and drop it gently down with consummate ease. Recommended loading is between 150 and 300 picofarads at 47k ohms.

THE LISTENING

All Ortofon moving magnet cartridges have a pleasing house sound, which is smooth, musical and gently detailed. The further you go up the range, the sound gets faster, more insightful and has better dynamics and drive – that's down to the improved stylus profiles eking out more information from the record groove. In the case of the Concorde Music Bronze, it sounds impressively polished yet highly engaging. There's a surprisingly deep insight into the recording, with a drive and grip that makes listening fun. This cartridge is tonally fairly even sounding, with just a teensy bit of extra light shone on the higher registers.

Cueing up my 7-inch single of Icehouse's Hey Little Girl, and I'm highly impressed by the strong stereo imaging. Although this song is now over forty years old, there's loads of atmosphere and ambience issuing forth from my Sony PS-8750 turntable. This new cartridge's nude fine line tip is a honey of a stylus profile, digging deep into the groove whilst staying secure. The vocal line – which normally seems a tad edgy or even brittle on this track – is smooth and expressive, and the Music Bronze throws out a welter of information around it. The keyboards ring, the bass guitar plugs away, and the drum kit gently floats behind.

4 Hero & Goldie's Find A Way shows the sheer speed of the Concorde. This banging, crashing slice of early nineties drum'n'bass demonstrates its fleetness of foot, as well as its ability to stay in the groove securely even when playing high-octane electronic dance. The chiming sound of the lead synth is full and vibrant, and beneath this sits a taut and lithe rhythm track that sure gets the feet tapping. Bass is super-tight and sinewy, albeit not the most prodigious and powerful I've heard. And nor is this the last word in dynamics, as it softens the very loudest peaks just a touch. Yet, still, the Music Bronze is a serious performer at the price, as good as anything you'll find for the money in this respect.

The classic soul-disco of Patrice Rushen's Forget Me Nots shows that the new Concorde is a refined design by moving magnet cartridge standards. You are drawn into the singer's intricate and breathy vocals, which are quite a thing to behold. Meanwhile, the superbly syncopated instrumentation behind her serves up the slightly sparse – languid, even – groove. The result is an immersive and subtle rendition of this song. Factor in the secure tracking and low end-of-side distortion, and it's a seriously sophisticated listen. Compared to the similarly priced Nagaoka MP-200 fitted into an ADC LMG headshell, the Ortofon has a more detailed sound, which is tidier yet slightly less dynamic. There's no clear winner here; it's down to personal preference – but the latter's more forensic nature works especially well with classical and electronic music.

THE VERDICT

The new Concorde Music delivers the classy, smooth and detailed Ortofon sound in an affordable package that's wonderfully easy to use. Better still, the interchangeable styli mean that you can start inexpensively and work your way up to the top model later, should you so wish. As an entry point into the range, the Bronze makes good sense – as it's when things start to get really fun. A welcome return to the hi-fi world for this iconic product then, so catch it if you can.

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