OM series
A series of low-mass moving-magnet phono cartridges from Ortofon whose styli can be swapped to step up in sound.
- Made by
- Ortofon
Pictures © Ortofon, from ortofon.com.
Why it is renowned
The OM 5E is fitted as standard to other makers' turntables: Pro-Ject's Debut E-HP comes with one already mounted.12 Its styli are interchangeable, so a listener can step up to better sound by fitting a better stylus rather than a new cartridge.3
The story
A main aim in developing the OM cartridges was to let a listener improve the sound without replacing the whole cartridge: the stylus is simply upgraded.3 The OM 5 cartridges take styli from the 3E and 5E up to the 10, 20, 30 and 40, a 78 and the D 25 M.3
A small removable weight plate sits in the top of the mounting bracket: left in for a standard tonearm, taken out for a low-mass one, when the cartridge weighs 2.5 grams.3 Computer simulations were used to place the natural pivot point of the stylus system.3 The Super models have split pole pins and a body of Noryl, a plastic and glass compound.3
Sources
- Debut E HP, Pro-Ject Audio Systems. project-audio.com, read 2 October 2026.
- Ortofon, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 1 October 2026.
- OM 5E, Ortofon. ortofon.com, read 1 October 2026.
Last checked 2 October 2026, against the maker's own pages.