Головки звукоснимателя — Sumiko Oriole

Sumiko's Oriole is an MC design of the low-output type, announced on 28 January 2026 and priced at USD 1,699. It sits in the Sumiko range between the Songbird and the Starling, is made in Japan and comes in an orange housing. The maker aims it at turntables in the USD 1,000 to 5,000 bracket, a level where the deck and arm are usually good enough to benefit from a line contact stylus. Shipping started at launch.

Key specs that matter

At the tip sits a nude Shibata diamond measuring 6.5 x 40 micrometres, mounted on a reinforced aluminium pipe cantilever of 0.5 mm. Coils are wound from high-purity copper. Output is 0.3 mV and internal impedance is 5.5 ohm at 1 kHz, with a load above 55 ohm recommended. Frequency response spans 12 Hz to 45 kHz, channel separation is 30 dB and channel balance stays within 0.5 dB. Compliance is 12 x 10-6 cm/dyn at 100 Hz, and the body weighs 7.3 g.

Engineering and use context

A nude stylus is set directly into the cantilever without a metal shank, and Sumiko links this to reduced moving mass and better groove tracing. The Shibata line contact profile has a narrow footprint across the groove, so it reaches finer modulations than a conventional elliptical tip, but it also needs more careful alignment of azimuth and overhang. The very low impedance of the generator follows from its small number of coil turns, which also explains the low output. Tracking force can be set between 1.8 g and 2.2 g, with 2.0 g as the standard figure, and the vertical tracking angle is given as 20 degrees. Capacitance is not critical for a low-impedance MC, yet the specified window of 100 pF to 200 pF still applies to the cable run. Sumiko states that the low mass of the moving parts improves groove tracking and transient response, which is the main reason for combining a nude tip with a thin pipe cantilever at this price. Channel balance and separation figures are measured at 1 kHz.

Pairing

Such a small signal calls for a phono stage with real MC gain, around 60 dB, or else an MC transformer ahead of an MM stage, with a matching input load. Its medium compliance and a weight above 7 g suit medium-mass tonearms. On lighter arms a heavier counterweight may be required to balance the body.

Alternatives

The Sumiko Songbird is the next moving-coil model below the Oriole in the same range.