Posts with tag "Cartridge"

Generator physics, load matching, tonearm resonance calculation, stylus profiles and cost of ownership. Verified published specifications for three benchmark models.

In our new expert feature we have studied MC cartridges - the most precise and audiophile type of all - but limited the contenders to a price range of €500 to €1,150. This is not yet High-End, but it is the sweet spot, where you get truly luxurious sound at a price far below true high-end territory.

Our ranking of the most expensive high-end cartridges for vinyl is truly definitive. There are no one-off cartridges here – all models are mass-produced as of early 2026. Only the cream of the audiophile crown, only genuine gold for your ears.

Sumiko company has released a new MC-cartridge for vinyl, the Sumiko Oriole. The model is housed in an open-faced, lightweight alloy body, while the motor and magnet system are mounted on a PEEK (polyetheretherketone) generator mounting plate, ensuring stable vibration transfer to the tonearm headshell for further dissipation.

Excalibur has expanded its cartridge lineup with the Midnight Blue (€1,899), engineered using cutting-edge materials. A boron cantilever, Microridge diamond stylus, and low-resonance Delrin body should, according to developers, provide exceptionally precise and detailed groove reading.

Rega has unveiled its flagship moving-magnet cartridge, the Nd9 (€899). The newcomer features a boron cantilever with a Fine Line stylus inherited from the reference MC cartridge Aphelion 2. Boron delivers exceptional rigidity with low mass, providing ultra-fast response and superior groove tracking accuracy. The Nd9 is available as a factory option for the Rega Planar 8 turntable.

OTTA (Over The Top Analogue) has announced its first MC cartridge, the OTTA Mandolin. Special attention was paid to the quality of midrange reproduction during development – ​​which should guarantee the most engaging sound.

The London Decca brand was previously one of the most respected among manufacturers of high-quality vinyl cartridges. Alas, extremely limited supplies of new models for almost thirty years allowed many audiophiles to forget about the legend. Now London Decca is back – the new management of the company has significantly reworked both the model range and production facilities and is seriously aiming for global expansion.

Choosing a vinyl cartridge is a responsible matter, but our new rating will make the choice easier. The editors have collected for you seven of the most interesting and new models of sound cartridges – for every taste and budget.

The Swiss company Hyper Analogue Production has released a new MC cartridge for vinyl Hyper Analogue Production Hyper Sonic X4 - the model is equipped with the proprietary Multi-Layer Core system and a very powerful magnetic system.

The Segno Maya MC cartridge for vinyl is presented — the model uses a rare-earth samarium-cobalt magnetic system and four hand-wound 5N (99.999%) silver coils mounted on a square permalloy core.

Clearaudio has unveiled the Clearaudio N1 MM cartridge. The company says the new affordable cartridge is designed to “set a new standard in the class.” The Clearaudio N1 is housed in an anodized aluminum body and weighs 8 grams, making it suitable for both light and heavy tonearms.

Ortofon has introduced a new series of MC cartridges – Ortofon MC X10, MC X20, MC X30 and MC X40. The new models are equipped with coils wound with pure silver wire, and they differ in cantilever materials and diamond stylus profiles.

Reed has announced the Reed SF optical pickup head, as well as a special dual-block Reed EQ phono preamplifier with an external Reed PS power supply. Reed SF is an optical cartridge, its stylus (a Shibata-tipped diamond on a sapphire cantilever, with a recommended pressure of 1.5 to 2.0 grams) reads information from a vinyl record track, but the needle's movements are tracked by a laser-based optical system.

DS Audio has introduced the DS Audio Mono optical cartridges, designed specifically for playing monophonic records and featuring a special suspension system that responds only to horizontal needle movements (in stereo, where sound waves are encoded in both horizontal and vertical vibrations on vinyl, monophonic records use only horizontal movements to transmit the audio signal).

Ortofon has pleased vinyl lovers with the release of two new inexpensive cartridges - Ortofon Concorde 5E and Concorde 5S. The first cartridge will cost only 79 euros, the second is even more affordable - 69 euros. The new Ortofon Concorde models retain the well-known integrated design of the original Concorde MkI, which ensures ease of installation and compatibility with a wide range of tonearms.

The new Nagaoka MP-700 cartridge tops the Moving Permalloy (MP) series and will be available in the standard MP-700 and premium MP-700H versions. Compared to conventional moving magnet (MM) cartridges, the Moving Permalloy (MP) variant features a lighter permalloy magnet attached to the cantilever.

The Danish company Gryphon Audio, known for its reference High-End amplifiers and other equipment, has released its first MC-cartridge for vinyl record players for the first time in 40 years. The pickup took the basic design from the Ortofon MC Diamond – but Gryphon Audio specialists made significant changes.

Ortofon has released a reimagined modern version of the iconic MC A90 cartridge – meet the Ortofon MC 90X! The Ortofon MC 90X uses the proprietary Replicant 100 diamond – with a thin and light profile and a large contact surface, it is designed to be as close as possible to the cutting stylus of the machine used to form the groove in the record. The special shape of the diamond, a special polishing process and the use of a boron cantilever guarantee transparency and precision of sound.

In honor of the company's 45th anniversary, Clearaudio released the Clearaudio Diamond Jubilee MC cartridge – the model will go on sale for 25,000 euros (at the same time becoming the most expensive branded cartridge), and only 45 cartridges will be realised.