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Ernst Benz was an engineer working and developing delicate instrumentation in the '60's, and later managed an industrial jewel company in Switzerland manufacturing timepiece and industrial jewels as well as sapphire phonograph needles. Throughout the '70's, Benz Micro became one of the largest suppliers of diamond styli in the world, providing support for such companies as Ortofon, Philips, Pickering, ADC, Audio Technica, and Empire (which was later acquired by Benz).
In the '80's, Benz utilized his knowledge and specialized manufacturing skills in developing a series of extremely high quality moving coil cartridges. Over the next few years, Benz focused his energies on resonance control, the result being the Bruyere-wood bodied Benz Reference, the company's flagship model, introduced in 1990. Further investigations into non-ferrous moving coil formers lead to the design of the Benz Ruby (shown left). This has a resolution and tonal richness and musicality that's rarely been equaled. Following this success, a series of lower cost, wooden-bodied moving coil cartridges, the L2, M2, and the H2. each matching a different phono section specification.
In the past years, a more affordable range of cartridges featuring the Glider series (shown below), featuring a "nude" assembly with Boron cantilever and low mass, also with different outputs.
Now, more recently, an "entry-level" series of MC cartridges using "flow-down" technology called the Ace series (shown bottom)
The Technology
The differences between the Benz-Micro models can be described by these characteristics
- Stylus shape and type (e.g. 5 * 120µm or 6 * 40µm)
- Body type (e.g. wooden, none or plastic)
- Output voltage (i.e. low, medium or high)
Benz-Micro cartridges are designed to work with all modern medium mass arms such as SME, Linn. Nottingham, Rega, Graham etc).
The high output units are designed to work with an MM phono stage.
The Benz-Micro trade-up program
As authorized distributors for Benz-Micro cartridges we are able to trade-up your existing cartridge.
This how it works. For a new Benz-Micro cartridge that lists for more than double the listed price for your existing cartridge, you will receive 50 percent trade-in on your old cartridge price (e.g. for your very tired Denon DL304, you could get $300 off a new Benz-Micro Glider).
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