Ortofon MC-3000 MC phono cartridge Alvin Gold, October 1988
Alvin Gold wrote about the Ortofon MC-3000 in October 1988
(Vol.11 No.10):  Audio Technica isn't the only large cartridge
maker in the business of showing the audiophile elite how it
should be done. Ortofon has done something similar with its
MC-3000. This $1000 cartridge, JGH's reference since its
introduction last year, comes dangerously close to breaking my
own self-imposed rule for this piece—equipment should be
relatively affordable. In fact, I'll go further and suggest that
Ortofon's costs being what they must be, I think it is pitched
over the odds in the UK, though I'll never be able to prove it.
However, I take comfort from the thought that the Ortofon easily
outperforms some cartridges costing at least twice as much.  I
was also gladdened to see that even the big, clever companies
like Ortofon have feet of clay. Imagine, if you will, this
magnificent $1000 cartridge arriving in a big red and white box,
big enough to hold a whole month's pr