@halcro - I read that it was a single piece of diamond in a review in Absolute Sounds a few years ago, although I suppose that’s not direct from the horses mouth ...
'Diamond' cantilevers: a man's best friend?
An increasing number of cartridge manufacturers is offering models with 'diamond' cantilevers at the top of their range, generally priced at the wrong side of $10k. The price hike compared to - otherwise identical - models with boron (or other) cantilevers runs in the multiple thousands.
Can anyone explain why? Is this just an artificial price point to emphasize exclusivity or does it have to do with material or manufacturing cost, even if there's not much material to begin with? And speaking of artificial, are these cantilevers made from 'real' diamond, or some industrial type? Are all diamond cantilevers created equal or do we see a variety of diamond-like materials sold as 'real' diamond? And what about the rare 'one piece' diamond stylus/cantilevers used in a few vintage cartridges (Sony XL-88D, Dynavector, Kiseki Lapis Lazuli); are these new top dollar diamond cantilever cartridges (like some Koetsu's, Ortofon MC Century, Transfiguration Orpheus Diamond, etc.) of the 'one piece' type? And if not, what is the presumed advantage compared to ruby, sapphire, boron or any other cantilever materials? In short: does anyone know what the 'diamond' cantilever landscape really looks like?
And finally the really important question: do 'diamond' cantilevers - all else being equal - offer superior performance that would begin to justify the price difference? Has anyone done the required comparative listening?
PS: a have a nice collection of MC's with a variety of cantilever materials: sapphire, ruby, boron, aluminium, beryllium, or some combination of materials. But not 'diamond' (real or otherwise), so I'm curious to find out if I'm missing out on something.
Can anyone explain why? Is this just an artificial price point to emphasize exclusivity or does it have to do with material or manufacturing cost, even if there's not much material to begin with? And speaking of artificial, are these cantilevers made from 'real' diamond, or some industrial type? Are all diamond cantilevers created equal or do we see a variety of diamond-like materials sold as 'real' diamond? And what about the rare 'one piece' diamond stylus/cantilevers used in a few vintage cartridges (Sony XL-88D, Dynavector, Kiseki Lapis Lazuli); are these new top dollar diamond cantilever cartridges (like some Koetsu's, Ortofon MC Century, Transfiguration Orpheus Diamond, etc.) of the 'one piece' type? And if not, what is the presumed advantage compared to ruby, sapphire, boron or any other cantilever materials? In short: does anyone know what the 'diamond' cantilever landscape really looks like?
And finally the really important question: do 'diamond' cantilevers - all else being equal - offer superior performance that would begin to justify the price difference? Has anyone done the required comparative listening?
PS: a have a nice collection of MC's with a variety of cantilever materials: sapphire, ruby, boron, aluminium, beryllium, or some combination of materials. But not 'diamond' (real or otherwise), so I'm curious to find out if I'm missing out on something.
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- 43 posts total
Well, this topic was purported to be about the merits - or lack thereof - of diamond cantilevers. And not about the merits of ’no cantilever’ designs. These may very well be superior to anything with a cantilever, diamond or otherwise. I own the Ikeda 9 Rex and know its capabilities very well. To some extend these also apply to the Victor MC-L1000 and Sato Musen Zen, both based on the so called ’direct couple’ principle. They do have a cantilever of sorts (actually diamond in case of the Zen), but the coils are located directly above the stylus. They come close to the Ikeda in terms of dynamics and immediacy, but not quite. Probably because the ’cantilever’ does offer some compliance. The Ikeda 9 has virtually no compliance at all, which probably explains the fenomenal immediacy but also limits its functionality. Don’t try to play even slightly warped records with it! |
My old post detected above, since 2018 i upgraded my Dynavector Karat 17DS with later version Karat 17D2, but it’s still sealed in the box. Dynavector designer Dr.Tominari made extremely short diamond cantilevers while SONY "D" comes with extremely long gemstone cantilever and 50% of it is long aluminum collar tube. Completely different design, but both called "diamond cantilevers". |
- 43 posts total