Ortofon M-20FL Super (circa 1978)
Little is documented about the Ortofon M-20FL Super outside one thorough review and Ortofon's own advertising from early 1978. Period materials give the full name as M-20FL Super - a stereo phono cartridge with a Fine-Line stylus. It sold for $100 in the U.S. with a one-year limited warranty. Ortofon built it in Denmark, and Tannoy-Ortofon of Plainview, New York distributed it here.
High Fidelity (February 1978, p.43) measured channel separation consistently above 25 dB across the band, better than 30 dB through much of it, and still better than 18 dB at 15 kHz. The response rose above 10 kHz, more on the left channel than the right. The reviewer connected that to very brilliant brass reproduction, perhaps too much for some tastes. The same magazine's listening notes (February 1978, p.44) mentioned a slight instability in the center image on solo violin, with upper partials favoring the left channel. Overall the pickup came across as warm without sacrificing its up-close presence. The review regarded it as one of the best at what was fast becoming a modest price for a premium pickup.
Ortofon's own advertising pitched the M20 Super series as the first magnetic cartridges precisely matched to the compliance variations of fine tone arms. It credited the patented VMS (Variable Magnetic Shunt) design. The FL sat at medium compliance. That campaign ran in HiFI-Stereo (February 1978, p.143) and High Fidelity (April 1978, p.106).
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