Ortofon SPU Royal G MkII Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

Replicant 100 stylus. Electrum coils. Classic SPU design.

The Ortofon SPU Royal G MkII brings precision stylus engineering to the legendary SPU moving coil cartridge. Originally introduced in 1998 to celebrate Ortofon's 80th anniversary, the Royal G combines traditional SPU construction with refinements designed for greater detail retrieval and accurate groove tracking.

Its Nude Ortofon Replicant 100 diamond stylus features a 5/100 µm profile and reduced tip mass. Electrum coils, made from gold-plated silver wire, transmit the cartridge generator's movements, while a modified damping system allows a lower recommended tracking force than many traditional SPU designs.

The integrated G-style headshell connects directly to compatible tonearms with an SME-style bayonet fitting.

Key Features

• Nude Replicant 100 stylus: 5/100 µm diamond profile for precise groove tracing.

• Electrum coils: Gold-plated silver coil wire.

• Refined damping system: Designed to improve linearity and reduce tracking-force requirements.

• 0.2 mV output: Low-output moving coil generator.

• Integrated G-style headshell: Direct connection to compatible SME-style bayonet tonearms.

• 60 µm tracking ability: Measured at 315 Hz.

• Classic SPU construction: Ground wood and resin composite body with a glossy black finish.

  
  

Complete Technical Specifications

What Makes the SPU Royal G MkII Different?

The Royal G MkII distinguishes itself within the SPU family through its Replicant 100 stylus, Electrum coil windings, and refined damping system.

Replicant 100 stylus

Unlike the Nude Elliptical stylus used in the SPU Meister Silver G MkII and Synergy G, the Royal G MkII uses Ortofon's Replicant 100 profile. Its extended contact geometry is designed to retrieve fine groove information accurately.

Electrum coil windings

The Royal G MkII uses gold-plated silver coil wire, distinguishing it from the pure silver windings of the Meister Silver and the oxygen-free copper coils of the Synergy G.

Reduced tracking force

The revised damping system allows a recommended tracking force of 3.0 grams, compared with 4.0 grams for the Meister Silver G MkII and 3.5 grams for the Synergy G.

Compatibility & Installation

Important: The SPU Royal G MkII is not a standard ½-inch-mount cartridge. Its integrated headshell requires a compatible SME-style bayonet tonearm.

At 30 grams with a dynamic compliance of 8 µm/mN, the cartridge requires careful tonearm matching and sufficient counterweight capacity.

Its 0.2 mV output calls for a suitable low-output moving coil phono stage or an appropriately matched step-up transformer. Ortofon recommends a tracking force of 3.0 grams and specifies a nominal load impedance of 100 ohms on its US product page.

Discover Ortofon at The Grid HiFi. Our Houston team can assist with SPU cartridge selection, tonearm compatibility, and moving coil phono stage matching.