The design policy of the "ultra-low impedance MC type cartridge" that My Sonic Lab has consistently promoted is "Low source (signal source) impedance, high output energy...!", and the initial product was born based on that idea. "Eminent" series, and the lineup has been expanded to "Ultra Eminent = 0.6Ω: 0.3mV", each of which has been well received.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the release of "Eminent," we have created "Signature Gold," a cartridge that has taken further steps to create a product that takes into account "energetic expressiveness."

The fact that we were able to achieve an impedance of around 1Ω at a practical level was due to the completion of the ``magnetic material (core material) = SH-μX,'' which we had been working on developing for many years. By achieving both ``saturation magnetic flux density'' and ``Hi-μi (high initial magnetic permeability),'' we have now achieved an unprecedented level in the world.

In addition to the performance obtained in the "Eminent" series, we worked to further improve "musicality and expressiveness" by creating a sense of power and resolution in the low range, natural elasticity in the mid and high range, and an increase in volume. was.

To achieve this, we strengthened the cartridge base, increased the volume of the "core material", adopted a double damper structure that controlled viscoelasticity, adopted a duralumin cantilever with a warm, natural sound, and adopted a high-quality OFC wire material that does not have any special characteristics. We used a number of ideas based on our experience, but the basic idea is a magnetic circuit made of My Sonic's original core material "SH-μX."

As a result, you can hear sound with high efficiency = wide dynamic range = high transients = low distortion = high S/N ratio.

Now, it is said that the essential conditions for a signal generation source are to have as low internal impedance (internal loss) as possible and to obtain high output, but the power generation structure of most current MC cartridges has a so-called "iron core" or " It is classified as "air core" type.

The "core material" used in the "iron core" type is mainly represented by "pure iron or permalloy C", and is low impedance and effective for high efficiency power generation, but it is also effective for high efficiency power generation due to its magnetic properties (hysteresis distortion = material There are advantages and disadvantages), and there are limits to their characteristics.

On the other hand, the "air core" type does not have to worry about magnetostriction, but due to its low efficiency, the number of coil turns is large, and high impedance is generally unavoidable.

Therefore, a highly efficient "core material" with excellent magnetic properties is required, but it is difficult to overcome this hurdle due to the limits of structure and properties of existing materials, and it is frustrating that we are unable to take the first step. .

My Sonic Lab's special core material, ``SH-μX,'' was born as a result of many years of material development with the help of experts.

●Since the core material of the cartridge basically operates in an alternating magnetic field, it must be designed with attention to hysteresis characteristics and the Barkhausen effect.

◎If you want to obtain high efficiency (output), pure iron has a high "Bs" and is advantageous, but since "μi" is low, magnetostriction becomes large in "AC magnetic field".

◎ "Permalloy C (PC = high μi)" has low magnetostriction, but it is difficult to obtain output because "Bs" is low.

●As a result of our efforts to overcome these problems, we arrived at My Sonic Lab's special core material ``SH-μX.''

*Incidentally, the representative characteristics of "SH-μX" are: 2.5 times or more than PC (1.5T/15,000 Gauss) for "Bs" and approximately 3 times or more than PC (100,000/500 Gauss) for "μi".

specification

Format: Ultra-low impedance MC cartridge

Frequency range: 10-50,000Hz

Output voltage: 0.5mV (1kHz)

Internal impedance: 1.4Ω

Appropriate stylus pressure: 1.9 to 2.2g (centered on 2g)

Cantilever: Super duralumin (A2017 hardened material)

Needle tip: semi-line contact (3μm x 30μm)

Channel balance: within 0.5dB (1kHz)

Crosstalk: 30dB or more (1kHz)

Core material: SH-μX (My Sonic Lab)

Magnet: Neodymium #50

Housing base: Extra super duralumin (A7075 hardened material) + 3-layer metal plating + DLC treatment

Terminal pin: Bright rhodium plating treatment

Weight: approx. 10g