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Who needs a Diamond Cantilever...? 💍

So suddenly, there seems to be a trend for Uber-LOMC cartridges released with Diamond Cantilevers...😱
As if the High-End MC cartridges were not already overpriced....?!
Orofon have released the MC-ANNA-DIAMOND after previously releasing the Limited Edition MC-CENTURY...also with Diamond Cantilever.
Then there’s the KOETSU BLOODSTONE PLATINUM and DYNAVECTOR KARAT 17D2 and ZYX ULTIMATE DIAMOND and probably several more.

But way back in 1980....Sony released a Diamond-Cantilevered version of its fine XL-88 LOMC Cartridge.
Imaginatively....they named this model the XL-88D and, because it was the most expensive phono cartridge in the world (costing 7500DM which was more expensive than a Volkswagen at the time)....Sony, cleverly disguised this rare beast to look EXACTLY like its ’cheap’ brother with its complex hybrid cantilever of "special light metal held by a carbon-fibre pipe both being held again by a rigid aluminium pipe".
The DIAMOND CANTILEVER on the 88D however......was a thing of BEAUTY and technological achievement, being formed from ONE PIECE OF DIAMOND including the stylus 🤯🙏🏽

I’ve owned the XL-88 for many years and recently discovered that it was my best (and favourite) cartridge when mounted in the heavy Fidelity Research S-3 Headshell on the SAEC WE-8000/ST 12" Tonearm around my VICTOR TT-101 TURNTABLE.
Without knowing this in advance.....I would not have been prepared to bid the extraordinary prices (at a Japanese Auction Site) that these rare cartridges keep commanding.
To find one in such STUNNING CONDITION with virtually no visible wear was beyond my expectations 😃

So how does it sound.....?
Is there a difference to the standard XL-88?
Is the Diamond Cantilever worth the huge price differential?
Is the Pope a Catholic....?

This cartridge simply ’blows my mind’...which is hard to do when I’ve had over 80 cartridges on 10 different arms mounted on two different turntables 🤯
As Syntax said on another Thread:-
When you have 2 identical carts, one regular cantilever and the other one with diamond cantilever (Koetsu Stones for example), the one with diamond cantilever shows more details, is a bit sharper in focus and the soundstage is a bit deeper and wider. They can sound a bit more detailed overall with improved dynamics
I’ll leave it at that for the time being. I will soon upload to YouTube, the sound comparisons between the two Sony versions on my HEAR MY CARTRIDGES THREAD.

But now I’ve bought myself a nightmarish scenario.......
There is no replacement stylus for this cartridge!
There is no replacement cantilever for this cartridge!
Each time I play records with it, I am ’killing’ it a bit more 🥴😥
If I knew how long I had left to live......I could program my ’listening sessions’ 🤪
But failing this.....I can’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable listening to this amazing machine.
128x128halcro
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edgewear
543 posts
 
Dear Halcro, was this the recent Yahoo auction? If so, you overbid me (and others of course). Good for you, I'm sure it's an amazing cartridge. I didn't dare to go higher, because I too was aware there's no replacement for its one piece cantilever/stylus assembly. But the auction high bid was still a bargain. Enjoy it with caution!

None of the current diamond cantilevers are one piece like the Sony. As far as I know it was unique and understandibly very costly to manufacture. I don't really understand why the current ones are so expensive. It is unlikely that the industrial diamond they use nowadays justify these prices, but I assume 'millionaire marketing' and 'trophyism' go a long way explaining current pricing tactics.

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@elizabeth 

The Dynavector Ruby 23 had a solid Ruby cantilever, The Dynavectror 17D3 has a solid diamond one. They originally cost $700, I bought my last one for $950. I also have a nice Ruby 23 (long discontinued)

Same here, but my Dyna is 17D2 mkII (Micro Reach) and the Ruby is 23RS MR (Micro Reach). Slightly different models than yours, but these are the most reasonably priced cartridges on the used market, including the one with Diamond cantilever. The price for them is cheaper or very close to re-tipping cost today, i would buy another cartridge instead of retip. Those Dyna are great carts! 

P.S. I've heard Sony XL-55 with Boron cantilever and did not like it at all. But even this Sony is impossible to repair, because the cartridge body is sealed. I have no interest in Sony cartridges, except for MM, the XL-50 MM with Boron Pipe cantilever is very nice and still cheap. 

 

lewm
13,110 posts
 
I've got a virtually new Dynavector 17D3, with its diamond cantilever.  As someone else pointed out regarding the D2 version, it never did cost a fortune, and in my opinion it is great value for money.  The D3 was available from DV until only recently when it was replaced by the 17DX.  Does the DX also have a diamond cantilever? (I am too lazy to look it up.)  Anyway, the point is that having a diamond cantilever is per se no excuse for an exorbitant price.  DV have been doing it for decades at the mid-price level.  Tongue in cheek, I might wonder whether the D3 could be so "inexpensive" because of the short 17mm length of its cantilever.  But I doubt it.  What we are seeing is the rapid growth of hype in the world of cartridge making. (Not that having a diamond cantilever is not a good thing.)
edgewear
543 posts
 
I looked up the Namiki website, where they offer a variety of cantilever materials: aluminum, zircon, boron, sapphire, ruby and - yup - diamond. Alas, no info on prices, but cartridge manufacturers apparently can buy these off the shelve. Perhaps retippers too?

If so, I might consider to have my Kiseki Lapis Lazuli retipped. This cartridge originally had a diamond cantilever (although not the one piece assembly like Sony). Unfortunately I never heard it like this, because the previous owner had it already retipped by vdHul with a boron cantilever. While I adore this cartridge 'as is', the possibility to 'restore' it back to its original design (when the inevitable retip comes) might be interesting to compare both materials.
But the Namiki diamond cantilever will likely come with their own micro ridge tip instead of a vdHul tip. So it's 'apples and oranges' again, but perhaps still worth a try.

Does anyone know of retippers who offer a diamond cantilever option?

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