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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
edgewear
543 posts
 
Dear Jonathan, thanks for your information about the history of this cartridge. Much appreciated! This is the kind of insider knowledge which makes this forum such an invaluable source. Glad you’re still willing to take the time to contribute.
The auction ended yesterday at a smidgen under 200.000 JPY and I’m happy to disclose that my Japanese contact has won it! He will send it to me in due course, with an additional (but very reasonable) ’finders fee’ added. I missed out twice on an XL-88D and after Halcro’s glowing descriptions I’m very excited to finally hear the one-piece diamond cantilever/stylus myself.

The integrated headshell is a limitation I’ve learned to live with, with cartridges like SPU, FR7, Entré Soltear II and Sony XL-55 Pro II. I can make all of them sound great in FR-64S and Audiocraft AC-4400, although the collar to tip distance is not the same in all cases (ranges between 49 and 51mm). The spec sheet of XL-44 (with 49mm distance) even claims that variations within that 2mm range don’t impact sound quality. I’ve also noticed that Ortofon is not too meticulous about observing the required 51mm collar to stylus distance for the SPU’s. I’m well aware this runs against the grain of the meticulous P2S alignment methods considered mandatory today, but in practice it does seem to work fine without audible distortion. What are your thoughts about this?

As a good audiogon citizen I will report back when I have taken delivery of this Takai Lab Final MC. I’ve promised myself this should indeed be my - uh - final MC cartridge. Yeah, right 😉



dover
2,229 posts
 
@edgewear
@jcarr 

As an owner of the Final Audio VTT1 turntable since the 80's, which is a phenominal turntable, I have seen 2 versions of the Final cartridge produced for Final by Yoshihisa Mori. One version had a half length diamond cantilever. The other had a full length diamond cantilever like the Sony XL88 Custom.

The XL88 on the Final TT was superb.

I still have a Dynavector Karat Nova 13D that Dynavector has kindly rebuilt for me a couple of times - the current one has a Microscanner tip which improved it considerably in terms of transparency.

I have also seen another Final cartridge with diamond cantilever ( half and full pipe ) with a stand alone body, not an integrated headshell, but I dont think that was based on the Sony.

Will be very interested to hear your impressions.




edgewear
543 posts
 
@dover, I will do so and perhaps even set up some kind of vintage ’diamond cantilever’ shoot out after delivery of the Final. The other contenders would be Audio Technica AT-1000MC, Dynavector Karat Nova 13D, Entré Soltear II and Sato Musen Zen Diamond.

In case you’re wondering, I don’t have any of the 10k ’modern’ cartridges with diamond cantilever to compare them to. At these prices I’m not going to either.

@jcarr I would be most interested to hear the story behind the Entré Soltear II and Sato Musen Zen Diamond. I know that the Entré was designed by Matsudaira-San and the Soltear II looks like a variant of the EC-30 with diamond cantilever (oblique cut but different from AT-1000MC). The Zen Diamond is based on the Victor direct couple design by Kanno-San, but with a diamond cantilever with a slightly tapered round pipe (similar to the Dyna 13D). Any insider stories you’d like to share about these?


mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,492 posts
 
@jcarr , Is there a reason you do not make a cartridge with a diamond cantilever? As a maker of fine cartridges I doubt it would be the cost of it as it seems you are willing to do anything to make the finest cartridge you are capable of. Thanx in advance for your answer.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas
13,005 posts
 
Dear friends: Diamond cantilever vintage cartridge designs performs really good even the ones that are not one piece cantilever/stylus and one example about is the Audio Technica AT-1000 that edgewear already experienced.

I think that the diamond cantilever cartridges performs as it performs by its overall design and its quality levels of excecution of that design and not because the diamong per sé.
 I think too that we never know how those diamond designs could performs with boron cantilevers.

Now if you want other, not named here, very good quality performer diamond cantilever vintage cartridge  ( between others. ) that I own look for the Fulton RSD, in 1982 this Fulton item had a price tag of 1.650K and maybe the more expensive cartridge in those times into USA market. Very good performer.

R.


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