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Curious Why Benz Micro Slid Into Obscurity

I remember there was a time when Benz Micro was one of the more prominent cartridge manufacturers out there. The Ace and Glider sure were popular cartridges. Then there was a hiatus in production. The company recognition seems to have never recovered. There are still new cartridges for sale on the various sites. But none of ther upper tier cartridges seem to gather the same recognition or praise that the earlier cartridges did. 

Is perception of them changed that much, or is it the fact that the brand has aged out? Are the designs that dated to where people no longer believe quality and value are there?

neonknight
dogberry
719 posts
 

The LP-S arrived today, and is now sitting at the end of a Series IV (which balanced it with about a centimeter of weight adjustment to spare). It's playing its first record for me, the Opus 3 Test Record 1. Going back and forth between tracks played with it and with the Kontrapunkt C is showing me a pleasant surprise: I'm hearing vocal details I hadn't heard with the Ortofon. I know Therese Juel's track very well indeed, and this is an incremental improvement. It looks like table 2 will be purely MC (LP-S, Kontapunkt C, Cadenza Mono), and when Lee at Acoustand makes me two more pods I'll have the great moving iron shootout on Table 1.

audioquest4life
774 posts
 

@dogberry 

 

Congratulations. The Benz LP and then LPS introduced me to the world of higher end MCs. The sound and tone of the LPS is just beautiful and balanced. On my system, it seemed best playback loading was 47k with an Aesthetix Io also on an SME V. 

dogberry
719 posts
 

I was very surprised to do a head to head comparison of the LP-S with the London Decca Reference. The Decca has been finally de-throned! So the LP-S is now on the SME V, and the Cadenza Mono is on the IV. I couldn't resist, and sent the Ruby 3 off to Steve Leung for conversion to mono (he does it properly and removes the vertically-sensitive coil and connects the remaining coil to both outputs). That and a new Gyger stylus for $550USD seems like a bargain. You can't tell too much from the iPhone video that Steve sends, but I think it's going to be good. Better than the Cadenza Mono? I'll find out in ten days or so.
 

dogberry
719 posts
 

Currently playing Sibelius 2nd, Tauno Hannikainen, Sinfonia of London, 1959. Sounds delightful, and definitely quieter than playing this old mono record with a stereo cartridge.

dogberry
719 posts
 

Moved on to Furtwangler's 1951 Beethoven 9th, and smiled some more. Then the 1967 Parlophone mono Sgt. Pepper. I think it sounds better than the pristine modern stereo re-release, despite having had a hard life (bought used in 1968 by my brother, and likely played a hundred times since on some questionable equipment). I think I can recommend having VAS surgically alter a Ruby!

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