Головки звукоснимателя — Benz Micro LPS

The LP-S is the heavier of two related moving-coil cartridges from Benz Micro of Switzerland, the LP at 10.7 g and the LP-S at 16.4 g. Both share an evolved version of the ruby square plate generator and a limited-edition body of aged ebony, and the LP-S adds a higher-mass frame intended for firmer coupling to the tonearm. Its US retail price was USD 5,000, and the UK price was GBP 2,700.

Key specs that matter

Output is 0.34 mV at 3.54 cm/sec from an internal impedance of 38 ohm, and Benz Micro recommends a load above 400 ohm. A mirror-polished nude diamond with a line-contact Micro Ridge profile of 5 x 120 micron is bonded to a solid boron rod cantilever 0.28 mm across. Compliance is 15 cu and tracking force is 1.8 to 2 g. Frequency response runs from 10 Hz to 50,000 Hz within 1 dB, channel separation is better than 35 dB at 1 kHz and channel balance is within 0.5 dB. Vertical tracking angle is 20 degrees.

Engineering and use context

The ebony is machined and vented instead of being left as a solid block, and in the LP-S it is combined with a brass frame, part of the higher-mass build of this version. Benz Micro says the added mass changes the vibration and resonant behaviour of the cartridge. The coils are carried on a non-ferrous square ruby plate, the platform that also underpins the Ruby models, and the generator works with an oversized neodymium magnet. A non-ferrous plate is needed here because an iron-cored coil would be overloaded by a magnetic field this strong. The idea is to pair a high-mass body with a low-mass generator inside it. Break-in takes 40 to 50 hours, and the warranty runs two years.

Pairing

Since the LP and LP-S share every electrical figure, picking one depends on body mass and the tonearm it will sit in. At 16.4 g the LP-S calls for a tonearm of medium to high mass. The low output points to moving-coil phono stages with generous gain. Benz Micro places the practical optimum around 1,000 ohm, so a phono stage with adjustable loading makes it easy to try several settings.

Alternatives

Benz Micro's Gullwing SLR matches these electrical figures in a rhodium-plated brass frame weighing 12.2 g.