Benz phono
cartridges are renown the world over for their musicality,
accuracy, quality and constancy. The biggest
recommendation is the 1,000's of users who promote their values
on the numerous internet news lists. For many, the Benz LP
is the reference cartridge, regardless of cost, we agree!
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The latest LP S
incorporates a higher mass brass frame for improved coupling to
tonearms, evolved ruby square plate generator and Ebony body.
Brass, an alloy of copper and tin, complements Ebony, materials
used for building musical instruments. The LP S has 50% more
mass than the previous model for enhanced vibrational and
resonant characteristics, thus revealing greater dynamic
contrasts, deeper bass and increased resolution from all
records. The latest LP S Class was the first Benz to use the new MicroRidge stylus, now found on all Benz Swiss-made cartridges.
We recommend the LP-S
as the logical upgrade to the AT33EV on SME V arms.
Here is an excerpt form the latest phono cartridge survey from Harry
Pearson of The Absolute Sound:
“I don’t think we yet have developed the language to capture what
the Benz itself does, and, believe me, I have been wrestling,
mentally, to find a way to see (hear?) if I can convey a sense of
what makes it so special.
The Benz captures every sound, and does so with any particular
emphasis on “presence” or aliveness (as we have described those
characteristics in this essay). The longer you listen to the
cartridge—and the more it warms up—the more revealing it becomes in
the sense of warmly inviting you in to listen more deeply to the
textures, harmonics, and little subtleties that make up the basic
foundations of the music itself.
Everything you hear reproduced by the LP S-MR is translucent.
Whatever it is that keeps you, the listener, on the outside looking
in, vanishes here, to be replaced by a kind of intimate relation
with the music—not “intimate” either in any erotic or gushy sense,
but rather the kind of intimacy you might strike up with a vintage
wine, perfectly aged.”
Here is a post from Jonathan Valin of The Absolute Sound from AV
Guide:
“First, yes, there has been a changeover with the LP S. Benz has
gone to a micro-ridge stylus (thus the “MR”). Second, so far I think
the Benz LP S-MR is one of the two or three best cartridges I’ve had
in my system. It is outstanding. Third, I think the Benz sounds best
loaded either at 500 or 1000 ohms (at least, via the ARC Ref Phono
2). And finally, there is something “musically right” about the LP
S-MR (and about the Da Vinci Grand Reference Grandezza, which is a
lower-output, reduced-coil-winding, iron-magnet version of the same
basic cartridge). These two cartridges sound, to my ear, more like
the real thing because they lower the sound of the mechanical
thing--in other words, they get out of the way of the signal more
completely. HP will also have some (very favourable) words about the
Benz LP S-MR in our upcoming analogue issue.”
From the 6 Moons
January 2011 review
click here to read it:
In general terms, if the Benz LP-S is any indication of a new
performance standard then I think we may have entered a new golden
age in moving coil cartridge performance. In my tenure at 6moons, I
have developed a bit of a reputation as being harder to please than
some of my colleagues. That may be true but when I come across a
really great product and proclaim it so, I would suggest you can
take it to the bank. In short, this cartridge paints a vivid and
complex tapestry of sound that is so beguiling and exciting to be
truly addictive. Every morning I came downstairs wondering what I
was going to play first. The Benz LP-S cartridge was such a
revelation that I cannot resist buying one. While this will be the
most expensive cartridge I ever purchased ($5,000.00) A Blue
Moon Award is definitely in order.
Benz LP-S
Specifications
Physical
Body: Vented machined Ebony wood
Cantilever: Solid boron rod 0.28mm diameter
Stylus: Nude line-contact diamond, mirror polished
Stylus tip radius: 5 x 120mm
Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA): 20°
Coil: Square ruby jewel plate
Weight: 16.4 grams
Electrical
Output voltage: 0.48 mV at 5.0 cm/s
Output voltage: 0.34 mV at 3.54 cm/s
Internal Impedance: 38 ohms
Frequency response: 10 – 50,000 Hz ± 1dB
Channel balance: Better than 0.5dB
Channel separation: Better than 35dB at 1kHz |
Dynamic
Tracking ability at 315Hz at a tracking force of 2 grams:
80mm
Dynamic compliance: 15 mm/mN
Setup instructions
Recommended loading: 500 – 47,000ohms
Recommended tracking force: 1.8 – 2.2 grams
Optimum tracking force: 1.8 – 2.0 grams
Recommended tonearm mass: Medium to high
Optimum working temperature: 23°C
Break-in period: 40 hours
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Retail
Price including UK sales tax £2,495
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Retail
Price less sales tax £2,079
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Some text borrowed
with permision from
http://www.musicalsurroundings.com/benz.html
PO Box 2001 Dartmouth
Devon TQ6 9QN Great Britain
Telephone 01803
833366 Fax 01803 839498 e-mail
sales@SoundHiFi.com
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