Analog Gear News

It’s beginning to look a lot like. . . Ortofon. (What, did you think another word was supposed to fill that sentence out, or something?) The venerable Danish company offers a number of cool new tonearms and accessories to consider as possible stocking stuffers before the holidays overrun us all, so let’s give them all a closer look.

First, Ortofon has just introduced a pair of new reference tonearms, the Ortofon AS-212R 9in arm (below) and the AS-309R 12in arm. Both arms build upon the legacy of their similarly nomenclatured predecessors that were sans the “R” distinction — i.e., the AS-212 and AS-309.

According to Ortofon, every individual component of the more than 130 high-precision machined parts specifically developed and manufactured for these two new tonearms has been “upgraded with materials chosen to minimize unwanted vibration and distortion,” and they are all hand-assembled and reviewed by Ortofon “artisans” accordingly.

The AS-212R 9in arm and AS-309R 12in arm (above) — which are both finished in matte black and silver chrome — are said to conform with Baerwald alignment, are equipped with a universal connector, and supplied with two counterweight sizes so the arms can enable the use of “nearly all” cartridges, ranging from SPU to headshell-mounted carts.

Ortofon lists the SRPs for these two tonearms in British pounds, with the SRP for the AS-212R given as £2799, and the SRP for the AS-309R given as £2899. We are awaiting direct confirmation from Ortofon as to both arms’ respective U.S. SRP equivalents, and we will update that info here once we hear back about them. [Update, 12.18.2023, 5 p.m. ET: Ortofon confirms the U.S. SRPs as being $3,359 for the AS-212R and $3,469 for the AS-309R.]

On to the accessories. First, Ortofon offers some new record stabilizers, now in two versions — standard and heavy. Said to be “completely redesigned and engineered,” Ortofon adds that “no preparations” are needed for utilizing these stabilizers other than to “just place the record stabilizer on the record before playback, and experience improved playback with reduced vibration.”

These two new Ortofon record stabilizers come in a premium satin matte anodized finish — in silver or black, as seen above — with Ortofon textured wave-grip. The SRPs are $69 for the 240g model, and $79 for the 350g model.

Finally, Ortofon also introduces two new cartridge-alignment tools — an update of the Standard version (above left), and a new Premium version (above right). The Premium cartridge alignment tool is a larger version that’s said to be 75% more rigid than the Standard one, and it features high-visibility printing for better ease of use. Both tools feature two zero points Baerwald alignment for “optimal tracking performance and accurate playback.”

The SRP for Ortofon’s Standard cartridge-alignment tool is $7, and the SRP for the Premium cartridge-alignment tool is a quite affordable $10.

To learn more about Ortofon, go here.
To find an authorized Ortofon dealer, go here.