Analog Gear News

OTTA — which stands for “Over The Top Analogue” — is a relatively new hi-fi brand that was launched in 2024. It also represents an active collaborative effort between a couple of hi-fi distributors: a) Philip O’Hanlon, who owns and operates California-based distribution company On a Higher Note; and b) Eckhard Derks, Principal/Managing Director of TCG Handels GmbH, a European distributor based in Nordhorn, Germany.

Both of them are passionate music lovers who are seeking to develop products with an eye on broadening markets (read: women, too), as well as interest in high-end audio. As O’Hanlon told me in a recent conversation, On a Higher Note also acts as a retailer in limited capacity by selling a selection of products online, including OTTA cartridges.

Handmade in Germany, OTTA cartridges might not be as well-known as some other cart brands, but these two music-loving businessmen — alongside some dealerships and special events — are working to change that.

The OTTA brand kicked off with a couple of cartridges, including the OTTA Mandolin (shown above) and the OTTA Theorbo (shown below). Both borrow names of instruments from the lute family — and, more broadly, a nod to the sound of acoustic musical instruments. Fittingly, their enclosures are made of CNC-machined, aged sandalwood. Both carts are based on the profile, mechanical geometry, body form, and base of a well-known MC cartridge, the Denon DL-103. The main reasoning was to make them compatible with a wide array of tonearms and setups, O’Hanlon said.

Yet the OTTA carts display obvious differences from that Denon cart — as one would expect, given the upgrades and pricing. The Mandolin has an SRP of $2,500, and the Theorbo goes for $5,000. The OTTA creators specified the parts, motor with a proprietary magnet system, coil windings, voicing, etc., including a ruby cantilever (as seen below).

The Mandolin has an elliptical diamond stylus, while the Theorbo has a Micro-Ridge diamond stylus and, also as one would expect, better specs — most notably channel separation, as O’Hanlon pointed out, and reportedly more “fullness” and detail over the Mandolin. Another difference lies in the coils. The Mandolin uses a pure iron cross-coil, while the Theorbo deploys a square coil, “with special winding.”

Sonically, the stated OTTA carts focus is on the midrange, especially the lower midrange. “Everything is geared towards midrange,” O’Hanlon confirmed — but not at the cost of giving up detail, he added: “Not lush and mush.”

O’Hanlon also described to me in detail a couple of recent listening events focused on OTTA gear. One of them was the aptly titled Midrange Magic evening event that they had invited me to (but was unfortunately unable to attend) that was held at Stereo Stereo, a Pittsburgh hi-fi dealership that I’d previously covered here over on our sister site, Stereophile.

At the event, lights were lowered and candles were lit to create an inviting atmosphere for listening to a wide range of music. “It’s about involving the listener with music and turning off your visual senses and just focus on your aural senses,” O’Hanlon said. “You feel comfortable in there. You relax. You’re going on this beautiful journey with the music.”

O’Hanlon selected and played a wide array of tracks at the event. A few examples: Van Morrison’s “Moondance” (originally the title track of Van the Man’s January 1970 Warner Bros. LP); Lee Morgan’s “The Procrastinator” (the title track of his posthumous 1978 Blue Note LP); Andrea Bocelli With Sarah Brightman’s “Time to Say Goodbye” (from Bocelli’s 2024 Duets (30th Anniversary) LP on Decca); ZZ Top’s “La Grange” (from Analogue Productions’ recently released UHQR edition of the band’s 1973 masterpiece Tres Hombres); and Billie Eilish’s “Oxytocin” (from her 2012 Happier Than Ever 2LP set on Darkroom/Interscope). The listening session concluded with a 12in single of Michael Jackson’s ubiquitous 1982 Epic classic, “Thriller.”

In this environment, Stereo Stereo attendees got to hear the OTTA Mandolin cartridge on a Luphonic R3 turntable paired with a Moonriver 505 hybrid phono stage, along with a Moonriver 404 Reference integrated amplifier driving a pair of Wilson Audio Sabrina loudspeakers.

Speaking of other components, Derks and O’Hanlon are also working together to bring to market a suite of new analog products from OTTA, including a step-up transformer prototype to be shown at the upcoming High End Vienna show in June, along with the aforementioned OTTA cartridges. A third cartridge, dubbed the Lute, is slated to be added to the OTTA lineup later this year as well. Additional carts, including (maybe) a mono cart, as well as a phono preamp, are slated for next year. “I’d like at least one mono cartridge by next year,” O’Hanlon told me. “I’m not expecting it to be a big seller, but it shows that we’re in it — as a passion project.”

Potential concepts for an OTTA turntable — specifically, a direct-drive model with an air-bearing linear-tracking tonearm — are getting underway, too. Design aesthetics also matter to O’Hanlon. “It needs to look like audio jewelry and be beautiful and wholly functional obviously as well,” he added. All of these OTTA plans sound good to us.