MY SONIC LAB Cartridges

tablejockey brings up a very interesting point. Why is a multi kilobuck cartridge using a cheap aluminum cantilever? One could ask another question, what does one really get for one’s money when you buy a multi kilobuck cartridge? I don’t believe that the sum of the parts of any of the cartridges one could name will add to but a mere fraction of the price asked.
The answer probably lies in the expected number of sales, (which is in many cases to be counted on possibly one hand), the cost of distributing the cartridge and the number of ’middle men’ involved in the endeavor. We then add on the typical costs of doing business, ( rent, salaries, taxes etc) and maybe we can begin to see why some of these minimally produced high end cartridges cost what they do. ( Aluminum cantilever or whatever!)
So long as there is even a minimal market for products like this, manufacturer’s will not give a second thought to using whatever part they think will work...at a price savings to them. Which IMHO solely explains the use of a aluminum cantilever on a multi-kilobuck cartridge.

@tablejockey , great record. Class Act. I am going to audition the strain gauge next time I visit my daughter in NYC. 

@daveyf , you are probably right but until somebody makes the same cartridge with various cantilevers and no other change we won't know for sure. A tapered aluminum cantilever might be better than boron rod, or ruby or cactus spine. It is never safe to assume anything but that is what we are expected to do based on the honesty of marketing? 

Thanks to all for the great info, and also the cool info on the cartridge shootout from Jperry.... Just a short rewind, and I never once thought about Boron, Aluminum, Sapphire, or Cactus. It can't hurt to pay a bit of attention to this. It's interesting that with the EMT line, their entry level (Tsd and HSD) series use Aluminum, their JSD (5/6) series use BORON, and the Lime, Pure Black (and PB V/M) series use Sapphire. I think at one stage of this wicked game, having a bit of variety goes a long way. And I think at the moment, without being fully aware, I'm shopping for two cartridges. I can't bring myself to dive in to a $10K (+/-) reference cartridge. So my eventual landing would be to have 2 really nice $5K cartridges. Being that I have the EMT Tsd75, a heck of a $2K cart itself... I think the change in sonic flavor will be next. Then, perhaps a higher EMT, or some unknown contender, will follow for my next turn. 

I know NOTHING about Sonic Lab carts but, based on it’s Japanese lineage, it’s made by guys that are OBSESSIVE and perfectionist.

That alone to me, would be enough assurance the lineup is solid.

I can’t remember much about anything Peter said about the cactus, except once they are "cured" they are a "perfect" material.

Spending north of a couple kilobucks is out of my league. But if it was, it’s nice to know I can get that $5K+ cart rebuilt to last longer than me with Soundsmith, AND it here, in the good ol USof A!

Have a blowout with that Sonic Lab, you send it to Mofi, they send it back to Japan....that would be a drag.

Mijostyn, go see Jeff Catalano @ Highwater, next time you're in the city. He’s a cool dude with esoteric stuff. Last time he made it to a Cal show, we ended up geeking out over the LP’s both he and I played. I had a Bowie album to play(Pinups), he pulled out a sealed copy of Spiders?(I cant recall, it may have been Alladin..whatever)

I think we carried on more about the LP’s than listen to his always amazing setups.

Site down now
https://highwatersound.com/

Duraluminum is an outdated marketing term for.....wait for it.........aluminum. I worked in the cycling manufacturing industry years back and learned a few things about aluminum pedigree.

Wrong.

Duraluminum is an ALLOY of aluminium, copper, manganese, magnesium, iron and silicon. It is NOT aluminium.
Duraluminum is lighter but harder than steel, its mechanical properties are quite different to aluminium.

I hope the other things you learnt during your employment in the cycling manufacturing industry were founded on fact.