Ortofon Kontrapunkt B Review

                            by James Leahy

 

 

 

Introduction

Want to know how good a highend Ortofon MC cartridge is (well your not the only one!)... then read on. The extruded alloy chassis is of similar construction to the range topping Jubilee but with different cantilever coils, and of course stylus. It is offered for sale at a much lower price point but promises much that it's bigger brothers gives just in smaller doses at a fraction of the cost.

The Kontrapunkt B is tipped with a Super polished Nude Fine Line stylus. The coils are made from 6-Nines pure silver wire and the output is a high (for MC) 470mV@5cm/sec.

 

What type of performance can one expect for the money and how different would it be to the more expensive models is always the ever popular question. Do I have to spend more to get better performance for my system..... or would it even make any difference with my equipment.....? are questions also often asked by my customers. Certainly as you go up the Ortofon MC line you do get more performance for your buck but your system my not be able to benefit the corresponding amount depending on a number of factors that I will discuss later.

 

 

Like all of Ortofon's premium MC cartridges the unit is packaged in a very attractive manor. The cartridge is securely mounted in the clam like box with clear Perspex top to show off this fine gun of a cartridge.

Like the Jubilee the Kontrapunkt B comes complete with new cartridge lead wires of excellent quality and a special miniature jeweler's screwdriver provided for you to secure the cartridge to the tonearm or headshell. Two sets of different sized gold bolts are provided to lock the Kontrapunkt B into position as you do not use any nuts in this configuration as the bolt thread go directly into the deep chassis to make a very secure fixing point.

 

For those who with to know more technical specifications than I have mention please download the Kontrapunkt range information sheet PDF file HERE

 

                                     Sonic Evaluations

Warming-up my system for a period of 60 minutes I first auditioned the Kontrapunkt B to 'Fleetwood Mac's - Rumours album (Warner Records, 1977). The first impression I experienced was that the sound stage struck me as wide and forthcoming. There is good imaging and a wide dynamic range that I have not heard in any sub $1,000.00 cartridge. Certainly not compressed and harsh sounding like many cheaper offerings can be. In direct comparison with the Ortofon Jubilee (and I hesitate to ever compare anything to the Jubilee as it is in a class of ONE) there is less total separation between musical layers and vocal tracks and the soundstage's depth is not as great. However let me quantify these statements; we are talking in terms of absolute values here that represent probably less than 10% better in real world terms. Even this small difference is only evident if you are using using a very good phono stage, pre-amplifier and turntable. Only if the rest of your system is of extremely high quality will you be able to discern a considerable difference worthy of the much steeper price tag of the Jubilee. To me the Kontrapunkt B showed considerable micro dynamics of the performance and ambience were evident in all tracks that were listened to, reaching a very high degree of definition that only MC cartridges can give. The signal to noise ratio of the Kontrapunkt B was also very high and distracting background surface noise could not be detected at reasonably high listening levels.

The most obvious characteristic of this cartridge is how VERY smooth sounding straight out of the box this baby is and it needs NO break-in time as the Jubilee did from my memory. The high frequency band is extremely easy to listen to and palatable even in notoriously harsh recordings. The Kontrapunkt B has a synergy that goes well beyond it price tag and gives every performance a polished and enthralling realism better than any CD player I have heard. The total difference this will make to a good vinyl rig for the low outlay is of truly amazing value. The Kontrapunkt B does not only excel in only one area at the expense of others but is an all-round star performer in it's own right. This is the key characteristic you should be looking for in your next cartridge purchase. This is a great cartridge for the enthusiast that wishes to give their system as much room to grow as possible and not want their cartridge to be holding them back in the future when it comes time to up-grade the rest of their system. It makes more sense to purchase a little more cartridge than you need today and get the use of the increased definition now, rather then to have to make an additional purchase in the not too distant future because you wish to save a few bucks.

Critical to all highend MC cartridges' excellent performance potential is an equally excellent and worthy phono stage. While you could 'get away with less' I would suggest making an investment in this primary area first or you will be in for a guaranteed disappointment as a cartridge of this caliber will not perform at it's best. For those of you who doubt this advise please read the following article:  'What's The Most Neglected Component in a Phono System?'.

The Kontrapunkt B is a quality MC cartridge that would not mind having in my system permanently as a lower cost option without a server compromise in sound quality.

 

Associated review Equipment

  • Amplifier:           Audio Research VT200 Mk.I

  • Line Stage:         Audio Research LS26

  • Phono Stage:      Audio Research PH5

  • Speakers:           ScanSpeak & Vifa Custom

  • Cables:              Neotech

  • Turntable:          Rega P7

  • Subwoofer:         Velodyne HGS-15