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
I have a Koetsu stone with and without diamond cantilever, and indeed it offers notably increased detail, speed, and dynamics without reducing or altering the Koetsu’s musicality or flow - in fact it even helps those attributes. However if your system relies upon the top end reduction of a traditional Koetsu, the diamond models have a bit less of that.

It’s not a "single piece" - the cantilever is made of a different (lower) quality of diamond than stylus, as it has a very light greenish/gray tint. Solid, not pipe. The stylus appears to be fused (I don’t see any glue) into a hole cut into the cantilever. The diamond models have slightly shorter cantilevers than boron and ride a little lower.

They’re a good option for those who love the Koetsu sound above all others, and want the next level of that. It’s available as an optional upgrade for any of the Platinum models (including RSP), but of course doesn’t come cheap. I'm not going to say they're an "essential" upgrade for Koetsu lovers, but I was impressed when I first heard it. 
Dear Halcro,

No worries, I was one of those cowards who folded at $1000. 😞 Double that amount is a pretty sum, but I have no doubt it will stand comparison with any of today's $10k plus cartridges. Looking at it this way it's still a bargain. 😀

BTW, I took my revenge last week, winning an auction for the Victor MC-L1000, another of those classic cartridges I simply must hear. Do you have this and if so, what do you think of it?



I own the Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum with DC. Gift from my lady.

Speed and brilliance without glare or astringency. Have never heard a cartridge like it, and although the Miyajima Zero is awfully good, it lacks the ultimate refinement of the Koetsu.

Congratulations Halcro. Glad you like it. And welcome to the club!
Raul:

The AT 1000 is listed at Vinyl Engine and your recollection is correct.

First I've heard of it (your post).

DeKay
  winning an auction for the Victor MC-L1000, another of those classic cartridges

GREAT!!!!!