Miyajima, the Japanese company best known for their phono cartridges, has created a simple little audio accessory for vinyl lovers, and it costs less than your average record.

It is aimed at audiophiles who have a tonearm with a removable headshell. The headshell in question will have a traditional (SME / Ortofon-type) bayonet mount, which in turn will typically include a rubber, silicone or similar non-rigid washer at the point of tonearm connection. Such washers, being non-rigid, allow for a slight degree of movement. Slight it may be, but this is one of those unforgiving areas in the audio signal chain where the tiniest interference of the delicate audio signal can have quite a significant effect beyond the point of amplification.

Miyajima’s new three-point contact metal washer is a tiny split washer (the split serving to clear the locating / bayonet-locking pin that’s part of the headshell fixing) is ultra-thin and features three indentations. The indentations are designed to enable a more rigid and less flexible joint, coupling the headshell and cartridge more tightly to the tonearm and thereby providing a more mechanically secure connection. At the same time, the three-point contact ensures optimal mechanical grounding between headshell and tonearm, improving damping and reducing resonance. The Miyajima three-point contact metal headshell washer is available now priced at £10 (including VAT).

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