No other company has ever retained a phono cartridge model in their product range for so many years. The SPU was used by early broadcasting companies among whom the Ortofon brand name was already well known from the first moving coil system - the Ortofon mono system in the small black A-housing. The so-called “Ortofon sound“ became synonymous with the sound from the SPU, at an early stage.
Back in 1958 the Ortofon SPU sounded like no other cartridge because it was way ahead of its competition. Today the SPU still has a sound that is definitely its own and it enjoys a remarkable following - in particular among audiophiles whose systems are comprised of vintage valve equipment and horn or reflex speakers.
