Initially focusing on sound film technology, Ortofon began to diversify into gramophone record playback and cutting equipment towards the end of World War II.

[2] Ortofon's first moving coil magnetic cartridge, the AB model,[3] was launched in 1948, and similar variations of that product are still manufactured today due to demand from enthusiasts.

[8] The first Moving magnet-pickup M-15 was launched in 1969; here Ortofon used for the first time the patented Variable Magnetic Shunt (VMS) generating system which was offered until the 1980s.

[1] Low-cost Ortofon cartridges, such as the OM-5E, are often supplied as standard on budget-priced consumer turntables, including the Pro-Ject Debut range.

[4] As recently as August 2024, an article for the Wall Street Journal called out Ortofon's cartridge as a key reason for recommending record players that include it.