Cartridges — Wilson Benesch TESSELLATE Ti-D

The TESSELLATE Ti-D is the top model of the TESSELLATE Ti moving-coil cartridge series that Wilson Benesch introduced in 2024. The series has three versions, named after their cantilever materials - boron, sapphire and diamond. The Ti-D was launched at USD 15,800, and the body was developed in collaboration with Renishaw PLC and the University of Sheffield.

Key specs that matter

Its cantilever is a hybrid - a diamond rod with a uni-directional carbon fibre damping ring. It carries a Micro Ridge stylus with a 3 x 80 micrometre tip radius, and vertical tracking angle is 20 degrees. Coils are wound in a pure iron square configuration. Output is 0.35 mV at 3.54 cm per second, internal impedance is 6 ohm, and frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 32 kHz within 1 dB. Channel separation is better than 35 dB at 1 kHz and channel balance is within 0.5 dB. Tracking ability at 315 Hz is 85 micrometres and dynamic compliance is 15 micrometres per millinewton. The cartridge weighs 17.1 g.

Engineering and use context

The body and headshell mount are made as one titanium piece by selective laser sintering, in which several high-power lasers fuse titanium powder layer by layer. This additive process lets Wilson Benesch use a tessellated, semi-open geometry that adds rigidity while leaving fewer reflective surfaces where resonances could build up. In the cantilever, the carbon fibre sleeve is placed in an offset, asymmetric position around the middle of the diamond rod, adding stiffness and damping with very little extra mass. The company describes this as the first hybridised cantilever used in a phono cartridge. Three finishes are offered - matt titanium, polished silver and polished gold applied by vapour deposition - and they differ only in looks. Wilson Benesch quotes a break-in period of 30 hours.

Pairing

The recommended tracking force is 1.1 to 1.4 g, with 1.3 g given as optimum, and the maker suggests a tonearm of medium effective mass, which matches the moderate compliance figure. Given the low output and low coil impedance, a step-up transformer or a phono preamplifier offering generous gain for moving-coil pickups is required, and resistive loading between 100 and 330 ohm is specified. The company's own GRAVITON Ti armwand was presented alongside the series as part of the GMT collection of tonearms and turntables.

Alternatives

The Wilson Benesch TESSELLATE Ti-S is the sapphire-cantilever version of the same cartridge.