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Phono cartridges, like musical instruments, use their body's resonance to influence the unique character of their sound. The cartridge body holds the cartridge's suspension and its electrical generating system—its stylus, cantilever, coils and magnet—while sitting between those and the tonearm. The body is a source of resonance that vibrates at its own frequency while it... Read More »

Ten-plus years have passed since I reviewed Audio-Technica's AT150MLx cartridge (HERE), a flagship moving magnet model without the flagship price: just $485 at the time. It featured a gold-plated boron cantilever tipped with a MicroLine stylus, a heavy metal body, MuMetal shielding between the channels and a ceramic mounting base to combat resonance. It was... Read More »

Just How Close to World-Class Performance Can You Get for $3950? Perspective Before I acquaint you with what an emphatically notable performer the Hana Umami Red Moving Coil phono cartridge represents in today's blustering moving coil cartridge roster, permit me a brief foray into the background of the phono cartridge. There are two primary types... Read More »

Audio-Technica's least expensive moving magnet cartridge, the AT-VM95C, is a thoroughly entertaining product. While far from the last word in anything, it's a cartridge I've enjoyed on turntable and tonearm combos costing more than 100 times its price. For just $39, it tracks well and resolves in big, bold strokes that makes it just as... Read More »

In my search for the Sweetheart of the most popular phono cartridge lines, offering the highest value and top performance for the price, the Hana series of cartridges brings a powerful entry. New to the market is the Hana Umami Blue Moving-Coil Cartridge also created by the brilliant Maseo Okada of Excel Sounds in Japan,... Read More »

I particularly appreciate high-value products, so I set out to identify over-performers that are underpriced in the phono cartridge world. Simply asking the cartridge manufacturers or distributors for their recommendations yielded fascinating results for my new series of reviews. First up to bat is Grado Labs, with an upper mid-line model designated the Timbre Reference3 suggested by... Read More »

I'm all for unburdening oneself of unwanted crap. As George Carlin said, if you didn't have so much goddamn stuff, you wouldn't need a house, which is really just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. Of course, that doesn't mean stuff is inherently bad. I, for one, enjoy sleeping in a bed.... Read More »

Consider the enigma that is the conical stylus, which is essentially the starting point for the earliest cartridges. While this stylus shape is widely used on modern entry level cartridges, curiously, it can also be found on a few select moving coil designs. Not all conical styli are created the same, as many are bonded... Read More »

"The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" is the perfect description of the sound of the Phasemation PP-500 low output moving coil cartridge. In short? The Phasemation PP-500 cartridge is an extremely musical sounding, low output moving coil cartridge whose overall performance transcends its readily identifiable sonic signature. Is the sound of... Read More »

The AT-ART20 lists for $2900 and resides as the second most expensive cartridge in the ART series cartridge line. The AT-ART20 is only topped by the $4999 AT-ART1000. The AT-ART20 magnetic circuit was based on the AT-ART9XI, but the AT-ART20 has a thicker front yoke, which improves the flux density and increases the output by... Read More »

David W. Robinson in Jerusalem, Israel, 2022: a portrait by John Robinson The Dohmann Audio Helix Two Mk2 Turntable, Schröder CB-11 Tonearm, Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge, & the Gold Note PH-1000 Phono Stage with PSU-1250 Power Supply Part the First of my reflections on the superb synergy of the Gold Note PH-1000/PSU-1250 Phono Stage, the... Read More »

Would it be damning this cartridge with faint praise to simply call it nice? I hope not, because that's precisely what the entry-level model from Mobile Fidelity Electronics is. That's not to say inoffensive, as in competent but not particularly inspiring. The StudioTracker is, in fact, fairly sophisticated and affable for such an inexpensive example... Read More »

  Ye Olde Editor, 2022: a portrait in Ink Outline (photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde himself). A Study in Synergy There's that word again. As defined online by Oxford Languages, synergy is "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater... Read More »

In 2019 I reviewed the Paradox Pulse Signature 70 MC Phono Preamp. I was so engrossed with it that I actually bought one along with the Paradox Pulse Guard R SMR Cartridge that I also reviewed around the same time. In the subsequent two years since my purchase Terence Robinson has upgraded both pieces with... Read More »

Charisma Audio is a Canadian importer and distributor of a number of high performance audio lines, and over time have crafted a remarkable series of moving coil cartridges that have gathered praises and accolades over the last several years. The Charisma series of cartridges may not possess the instant brand recognition of Koetsu or Shelter,... Read More »

If you've never heard one of the new, wood-bodied Grado cartridges, you may be under the same misconceptions I was. Maybe because they look so pipe-and-slippers, I'd assumed they'd sound commensurately warm, cozy, syrupy-sweet, homemade, and comforting. Or maybe it's because my first experience with a Grado cartridge—a whopping two decades ago—left me with the... Read More »

In the 20th century the Japanese manufacturing sector gained recognition for the ability to improve products through a continuous refinement of the manufacturing process. In the early 1990s I attended Eastern Washington University as a business student and I was introduced to the concept of the Deming Cycle. This process was showcased by a profile... Read More »

There is something to be said for stability in an audio system. In this case I don't mean "stability" as in free of vibration or unwanted movement, though that is obviously essential in a quality audio setup. I mean stable as in it is good to have some pieces of equipment that don't get swapped... Read More »

My highlight of 2019 was visiting with Peter Qvortrup (below) and the Audio Note (UK) 'family' in Brighton, England. Meeting Peter Qvortrup, Daniel Qvortrup (Peter's son, below), Andy Grove, and Darko Greguras was a real treat. Peter and Daniel walked me through the Audio Note (UK) operation, and told me about some of the exciting... Read More »