In August 2025, SoundStage! Ultra editor Jason Thorpe reviewed the Ortofon MC X40 moving-coil phono cartridge and concluded that it “is a fantastic cartridge for any price.” The MC X40 is the top model in Ortofon’s MC X line. At the time of the review, it was priced at US$999, CA$1449, £875, or €999, which Jason describes as “an aggressive price for a midrange moving coil.” Since Jason’s review was published, the US price has increased to $1149, but the Canadian, UK, and European prices have not changed.

In his review, Jason explains how Ortofon builds these new cartridges: “MC X cartridges are built around a stainless-steel skeleton that’s sintered using metal injection molding (MIM) technology. The internal construction is latticed in a honeycomb structure that’s designed to retain rigidity while reducing weight. The honeycomb design is visible on the top of the cartridge only, as the rest of the body is protected by a PVD coating and covered by a polymer shell.” He further notes that “Ortofon introduced a new magnet structure for the MC X line. The magnet is integrated into the rear yoke. The suspension is made from a rubber formulation that’s designed and manufactured in-house.”

As the top model in the four-cartridge MC X line, the MC X40 combines a boron cantilever, a Shibata stylus, and coils wound with high-purity silver wire—ingredients that, as Jason points out, are usually reserved for significantly more expensive cartridges.

Jason writes that, on paper, the MC X40 looks straightforward. Ortofon specifies a 0.4mV output and a lateral compliance of 15µm/mN, which Jason says makes it “compatible with most modern medium-to-low-mass tonearms.” The cartridge weighs 8.6g, and Ortofon recommends a tracking force of 2g and a load of at least 50 ohms. In use, Jason observed that the MC X40 is a relatively tall cartridge, but that his VPI Prime Signature turntable could accommodate it. Still, prospective buyers should take note.

Jason did the bulk of his listening with the MC X40 feeding a Mola Mola Lupe phono preamplifier via Nordost Frey interconnects. He set the vertical tracking force to Ortofon’s recommended 2g and, after some experimentation, settled on 100 ohms as the optimal load. Surface noise was neither the quietest he’s heard nor intrusive; Jason describes it as “middle of the road.”

When listening, what grabbed Jason first was the MC X40’s handling of treble energy—especially cymbals and guitars. Spinning Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band’s Clear Spot, an early 1970s record that he characterizes as “an aggressive-as-hell album that’s an exercise in high-frequency excess,” Jason focused in on “Big Eyed Beans from Venus.” Through the MC X40, the attacks of Art Tripp’s cymbals and snare had clearly defined starting points, with Jason remarking that “the MC X40 enhanced the dimensionality of both the initial hit and the ringing overtones of Art Tripp’s drums. Images of those cymbals and the initial snare whacks were tightly coiled in space, but with trails that expanded beyond the actual moment of impact.”

From there, Jason moved to something closer to home: “Wheat Kings” from the Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely, the third studio album from the legendary Canadian rock band. He describes how the track “rests on the shoulders of the two acoustic guitars that swap around lead and rhythm in a relaxed, comforting way, perfectly supporting Gord Downie’s emotive vocals.” Jason points out that the MC X40 didn’t artificially spotlight those guitars, but it did a striking job of separating the two lines and revealing differences in tone and attack between Rob Baker’s and Paul Langlois’s instruments.

Over time, Jason concluded that the MC X40 isn’t really a treble-forward cartridge at all, as he was initially inclined to believe, but one that sounds both “clear and open.” That sense of clarity extended into the midrange as he listened more. On “Cheap Is How I Feel” from The Caution Horses by Canada’s Cowboy Junkies, he was taken by how the Ortofon managed the relationship between Margo Timmins’s vocals and the instrumental backing. Jason mentions how the recording itself has slightly bloated bass and a blend of restrained drums, guitar, and mandolin that can turn to mush with less-capable cartridges, but the MC X40 sorted out that mix, keeping Timmins’s voice at a natural distance while precisely locating the guitar and mandolin within the soundfield, and making what Jason calls a “warm honey” of a record easy to follow all the way through.

Imaging and soundstaging were also highlights of this cartridge. Jason singled out John Zorn’s Alhambra Love Songs, particularly “Mountain View,” a piano-trio piece he regards as one of the world’s most perfect musical pieces. He states, “This is ostensibly a piano trio, but it sounds massive. Each instrument was well rendered in space, achieving the sense of scale that makes this piece lock into the core of why we listen. Image sizes were realistic and well placed, which is what you’d expect in a cartridge that’s more expensive than this little guy.”

For context, Jason compared the MC X40 to his reference European Audio Team Jo N°8, a wood-bodied moving-coil cartridge that now costs US$2399—more than twice the MC X40’s new US price. In Jason’s system, the EAT sounded fuller and weightier with instruments and had more warmth and body when reproducing voices. By contrast, the MC X40 felt leaner and more angular to him—“all elbows and knees,” as he puts it in the review. Summarizing the differences, Jason states, “That’s not to say that the EAT is rolled off or that the Ortofon is aggressive. These are matters of degree, but there’s a definite flavor that permeates each cartridge.”

Crucially, though, Jason felt there was no contest in terms of value. While he could happily live with either cartridge, the Ortofon’s performance at less than half the price of the EAT made it the overachiever of the pair. All told, the MC X40 offered a level of transparency, balance, and musical engagement that, in Jason’s estimation, would normally require a significantly larger investment.

In his conclusion, Jason makes it clear that the MC X40 isn’t just good “for the money”; as stated at the beginning of this article, it’s an outstanding cartridge by any standard. He attributes that to Ortofon being “a large company with large resources, and they’ve been making cartridges since forever.” Experience and scale both help. (Ortofon was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1918. The company introduced its first cartridge in 1948, a moving-coil design. Ortofon is still in Denmark, but is now in Nakskov.)

Jason’s combined assessment of the MC X40’s value and performance earned it a Reviewers’ Choice award when the review was published. But his statements about its performance irrespective of cost are what’s earned this cartridge a Recommended Reference Component award this month.

Manufacturer contact information:

Ortofon A/S
Stavangervej 9
DK-4900 Nakskov
Denmark

Website: www.ortofon.com