Sumiko, who have been making cartridges for nearly 40 years, have announced six new phono cartridges, the outcome of a 3-year development effort.  The new line will be premiered at the Munich High End Show, May 10^th -13th, 2018.

Sumiko is introducing 4 new moving magnet cartridges, the Rainier, Olympia (pictured), Moonstone and Amethyst which join the existing Oyster product lineup; and 2 new moving coil cartridges, the Songbird and Starling which will be part of the Reference Series product line.

Sumiko told us: “The four new additions to the Oyster series are the most ambitious Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges we have released to date.  The Rainier, Olympia, and Moonstone all utilise a common housing and generator assembly, so the stylus assemblies are interchangeable.  You can purchase the Rainier and upgrade to the Olympia or Moonstone without replacing the entire cartridge. They set a new performance standard for the audiophile on a budget.   The Amethyst is our flagship Moving Magnet (MM) design and requires its own unique cartridge body to maximize the performance of the excellent Nude Line Contact stylus. This exceptional cartridge even surpasses some moving coil cartridges in resolution and detail, setting a new benchmark for moving magnet cartridges with replaceable stylus assemblies. Joining the Reference Series line are two new Moving Coil (MC) designs including the new Songbird, which features exceptional tracking capability and the flexibility to mate well with a wide variety of tonearms and turntables. The Songbird’s high output voltage ensures noise free musical reproduction compatible with not only moving coil phono inputs but also moving magnet inputs. The Starling is our new reference open architecture design featuring a MicroRidge stylus on a boron cantilever in a low output/low mass configuration.  This is a powerful, dynamic cartridge with a very refined coherent presentation.  The Starling (second picture) is the latest manifestation of Sumiko’s forty years of refinement of phono cartridge design.  Both cartridges feature a new CNC-precision milled high grade aluminium body with optimised resonance properties”.

Shipping is expected to begin in May, with suggested retail prices as follows: MC: Songbird – $899, Starling – $1899 US dollars .        MM: Rainier – $149, Olympia – $199, Moonstone $299, and the Amethyst $599 US dollars

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