Головки звукоснимателя — Clearaudio Diamond Jubilee MC

The Diamond Jubilee MC is a moving coil cartridge that Clearaudio describes as the result of continuous development toward higher precision and fidelity. Its defining feature is a body of zirconium oxide, which the Erlangen company calls one of the hardest and most stable materials currently used in industry. The cartridge takes over several technologies from the Goldfinger Statement V2.1 and develops them further.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.6 to 0.65 mV at 5 cm/s, slightly higher than the 0.5 mV class of Clearaudio's wooden MC models, and cartridge impedance is 50 ohm. Channel separation exceeds 35 dB and channel balance is held to less than 0.15 dB. The frequency range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. On a boron cantilever sits a Clearaudio Prime Line PLUS diamond. Tracking ability is up to 100 µm, compliance is 18 µ/mN, and the recommended force is 2.8 g with 0.2 g tolerance. The system mass is approximately 9.25 g, quoted with a tolerance of 2 g.

Engineering and use context

Zirconium oxide is used here for its resonance stability, which Clearaudio says minimises unwanted vibration in the body, and it is machined to a manufacturing tolerance of up to 0.001 mm. From the Goldfinger Statement come particularly thin coil wires of 24 carat gold and an integrated high-frequency shield, a feature first introduced in the Goldfinger Statement V1. The generator has been reworked with stronger neodymium magnets in an optimised arrangement and a revised coil geometry, and the coils follow Clearaudio's absolutely pivot-symmetrical layout. A newly designed cantilever with an optimised angle is intended to improve tracking accuracy. Every component is selected and processed individually, according to the maker. The cartridge is delivered in an acrylic pyramid that protects the generator and displays it.

Pairing

Like other Clearaudio moving coil pickups, the Diamond Jubilee needs an MC phono stage or a suitable step-up device, although its output leaves a little more headroom over preamp noise than the half-millivolt V2 models. Because this cartridge is heavier than the seven-gram wooden designs, the chosen arm must offer enough counterweight range to balance it and still set the recommended force. The broad weight tolerance means the actual unit should be weighed before the counterweight is set.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement V2.1 is the gold-bodied MC from which this model borrows its thin coil wire and RF shielding.