Classification of Benz Micro cartridges

I wanted to edit my previous post but didn't know how. Everything I had said is accurate except for this sentence...

"Benz Wood SL, Wood SM, Wood SH are the same as the Ebony, Ebony TR, and Ebony H but uses the Bruyere Wood vs. the Ebony Wood bodies."

The outputs and internal impedances are different from both the Ebony TR and the Ebony L and therefore different from the Wood SL and Wood SM. However, Garth did tell me that the only difference between the Ebony H and the Wood SH is the type of wood body and that Mr. Lukaschek prefers the sound of the Ebony body.

I hope this clears up my previous post.

Thank you.

All very helpful, but it still seems a pretty confused way of building a line of cartridges.

They cover a wide price range - from $250 to $5,000 with 8 price points. Like the vast majority of companies with a wide product range, they change part of the line at a time. In doing so, they end up with mixed technologies across the line. Compare that to a speaker company or a turntable company with a wide range of offerings. At any one time, they generally have a mixture of new and older products in the line, with varying technologies. In general, Benz provides 2 or 3 output levels at a given price - something a lot of cartridge companies do not do. The exceptions are the flagship Ebony LP (only 1 option) and the $3,500 line where they have wood (Ebony TR/M/L) and non-wood (Ruby). Although it takes a little more research to find the right product, I like the range of options they provide, especially since they have trade in/trade up pricing options.

Well, I have ordered a Benz Ebony LP from the UK importer, with a good dicount at the moment. Thanks for your help.

Congratulations David12,

I think that you'll love your choice. Please report back after it's broken in and let us know how you like it on your Raven.