Unfortunately they are all fragile, even those short gemstone cantilevers (the most exoensive).
According to cartridge designer (Mr. Reto Adrioli of the Bluelectric) the aluminum is the best to work with. Japanese school of cartridge designers is a proof of that when it comes to MC.
Looking for relatively cheap MM cartridges with aluminum cantilever it would be great to have a "nude" line contact type of the diamond for better reproduction and longer stylus life (less record wear too).
If a cartridge have not only great stylus shape (at least shibata) but also great cantilever (beryllium was great) then the whole moving mass system will be much lower, as the result - the sound will be refined too (also better tracking because if the higher compliance).
However, Stanton/Pickering acheved amazing sound with aluminum cantilever and their patented Stereohedron stylus. Everything depends on particular cartridge design.
At the same time Technics with their best MM and MC ended up with Boron Pipe after serious research: "Somewhere in the high frequencies, every cartridge has an undesirable resonance point where the frequency response curve climbs a sudden peak. If that peak is in the audible range, your records sound not as intended. That resonance frequency is determined by the total effective moving mass of the vibrating system - the summed masses of the diamond stylus and, most importantly, the cantilever and magnet, etc. To shift that harmful resonance frequency up into the high supersonics, the effective moving mass must be reduced to the lowest possible minimum. Also, too much effective moving mass increases the mechanical impedance, thereby negatively affecting the cartridge's tracing ability."
According to cartridge designer (Mr. Reto Adrioli of the Bluelectric) the aluminum is the best to work with. Japanese school of cartridge designers is a proof of that when it comes to MC.
Looking for relatively cheap MM cartridges with aluminum cantilever it would be great to have a "nude" line contact type of the diamond for better reproduction and longer stylus life (less record wear too).
If a cartridge have not only great stylus shape (at least shibata) but also great cantilever (beryllium was great) then the whole moving mass system will be much lower, as the result - the sound will be refined too (also better tracking because if the higher compliance).
However, Stanton/Pickering acheved amazing sound with aluminum cantilever and their patented Stereohedron stylus. Everything depends on particular cartridge design.
At the same time Technics with their best MM and MC ended up with Boron Pipe after serious research: "Somewhere in the high frequencies, every cartridge has an undesirable resonance point where the frequency response curve climbs a sudden peak. If that peak is in the audible range, your records sound not as intended. That resonance frequency is determined by the total effective moving mass of the vibrating system - the summed masses of the diamond stylus and, most importantly, the cantilever and magnet, etc. To shift that harmful resonance frequency up into the high supersonics, the effective moving mass must be reduced to the lowest possible minimum. Also, too much effective moving mass increases the mechanical impedance, thereby negatively affecting the cartridge's tracing ability."
