Phono Cartridges

High-end audio phono cartridges are meticulously crafted components designed to extract the finest details from vinyl records. These precision instruments house a stylus, or needle, that tracks the record's grooves, converting analog vibrations into electrical signals.

A phono cartridge is assembled from four parts: a cartridge body, an internal signal generator, a long cantilever and a diamond tip also called a stylus. The cartridge body is made from plastic or wood. Inside the body is a signal generator or, if you will, an engine. The cantilever, made from either a hollow aluminum tube or exotic material such as ruby, has a specially shaped diamond on one end to track the record groove and tiny magnet or wire coil on the other end inside the cartridge body.

Phono cartridges with a magnet on the end are called “moving magnets,” and those with a coil on the end are called “moving coils.” These tiny magnets or coils are suspended in the phono cartridge body between a set of magnets and their movement within this magnetic field produces a tiny electrical signal which the cartridge sends to the phono preamplifier.

The more expensive phono cartridges in our mix feature exotic materials, specially shaped diamond tips and tiny coils that help extract more precise information from the record grooves. High-end phono cartridges are prized for their ability to faithfully reproduce the rich, warm sound of vinyl records in exquisite detail, making them essential in high-fidelity audio systems.