Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

In the quest for the ideal cantilever – one that's both infinitely stiff and has vanishingly low mass – only those cartridge brands with both the budget and micro-engineering resources can contemplate the most extreme of options. Diamond fits the bill in terms of stiffness versus density but the stylus – a 5/100µm Ortofon Replicant in this instance – can only be glued in place rather than mounted through a hole [see inset picture].

Achieving this with precision, and without significantly adding to the tip mass, represents yet another challenge but one met with confidence and success by Ortofon's engineers. Of course, every cantilever 'rod' brings a series of bending and twisting modes that interfere, or at least modulate, the motion of the coils relative to the stylus in the groove. Diamond moves any such resonances to very high frequency but Ortofon's latest MWCNT (Multi Wall Carbon Nano Tube)-infused polymer aims to optimise the coupling between stylus and coils by 'tuning' its behaviour at the fulcrum – the pivot point – that lies inbetween. Has it worked? See our Lab Report, p55... PM