THE REMARKABLE HISTORY OF A COMPANY
This book reveals the remarkable history of a company that for 100 years has always been in the business of acoustics. Indeed, for that timespan, Denmark itself, has been recognised as the land of acoustics, with many companies designing innovative products. The country retains that reputation today.
Ortofon has played a significant role in creating a rich heritage for Danish acoustics. We believe that enviable legacy is best protected and continued by the development of exciting new products and keeping Ortofon viable for the future. As you will discover in the book, the list of Ortofon’s famous and groundbreaking products is a long one.
Music historian Kevin Howlett has written this history of 100 years of Ortofon based on a firm foundation of exhaustive research in various archives and in-depth interviews with past and present employees from the 1970s until now. We are indebted to all the many friends and colleagues who gave so generously of their time to contribute to this book.
Book review quote
ORTOFON’S “A CENTURY OF ACCURACY IN SOUND”
"...it’s likely to be the only book celebrating a century of DJ business in our lifetime. And frankly it’s just a bloody nice thing to have in your life. Congrats to Ortofon for a full 100 years in this business, and for delivering a tangible real account of their adventure so far
...If you like collecting DJ stuff and vinyl, this celebration of Ortofon’s 100 years will fit perfectly on your shelf, and educate you at the same time...."
CHAPTER ONE 1918-1945
ELECTRICAL SOUND
• PETERSEN AND POULSEN
• PATENT CASES
CHAPTER TWO 1946-1969
MICROGROOVE, HI-FI AND STEREO
• FROM CINEMA TO GRAMOPHONE
• HIGH FIDELITY
• LIVING STEREO
• MAKING THE CUT
• GOLDEN EAR RECORDS
CHAPTER THREE 1970-1982
ADVENTURES IN SOUND
• TARGETING A NEW MARKET
• THE MOVE TO NAKSKOV
• MORE MAGNETIC DEVELOPMENT
• SPEAKERS AND CUTTERHEADS
• THE MC 30 AND THE DIRECT CUT TEST RECORD
• THE GOLDEN EAR CLUB
• A CLASSIC AMONG THE MOVING COILS
• A DELUXE VERSION OF THE SPU
• THE CONCORDE ARRIVES
• PREPARING ORTOFON FOR THE 1980s
• GOLDEN EAR RECORDS
CHAPTER FOUR 1983-1994
TURBULENT TIMES
• THE ARRIVAL OF DIGITAL SOUND
• ANALOGUE VS DIGITAL
• THE BATTLE FOR THE HIGH END
• IMPROVING ON PERFECTION
• HANG IN THERE!
• DEVELOPING THE COMPANY INTO TWO BUSINESSES
• A FACTORY IN THE USSR AND PROBLEMS IN THE USA
• GROWTH IN THE SCAN MICRO BUSINESS
• LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE
• GOLDEN EAR RECORDS
CHAPTER FIVE 1995-2004
THE VINYL PRESERVATION ACADEMY
• VINYL SURVIVAL
• THE PRO-JECT CONNECTION
• THE MOVING COIL ANNIVERSARY CARTRIDGES
• OK COMPUTER
• A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
• GOLDEN EAR RECORDS
CHAPTER SIX 2005-2018
STATE OF THE ART
• A NEW CHAPTER
• THE VINYL REVIVAL
• THE SPU ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS
• ORTOFON MICROTECH
• A CENTURY OF DOING BUSINESS
• GOLDEN EAR RECORDS
Golden Ear records
Throughout the book, there are overviews of Golden Ear records released during the last seven decades. Ortofon’s origination of the phrase ‘golden ear’ is described in detail in Chapter Three. In brief, when developing new models of cartridges, Ortofon engineers have always relied on particular albums to evaluate the potential of prototypes.
Ortofon’s Chief Officer of Acoustics and Technology, Leif Johannsen, and the author, Kevin Howlett, have made their Golden Ear choices based not only on the musical excellence and significance of each LP, but also the high quality of its sound. In addition to many well-known audiophile classics, there are some esoteric personal favourites in their selection.
The number of Golden Ear titles was limited to 100 for this book. Of course, many more could have been highlighted.