The Super Gold has no long cantilever and no rubbery fulcrum point to absorb, dissipate and smear the vital musical energy. Instead, the stylus is attached directly to a magnetically active metal support just a few microns thick which passes through the centre of the main generating coil positioned about 1 millimetre above the stylus. The stylus motion is not inverted or transformed to a smaller value as in long cantilever designs. Flowing from this immediate positive-direct scanning of the groove is a breathtaking, lifelike quality. The listener tends to feel that the performing artists are actually in the same room, with a startling, palpable presence.

The Super Gold uses a line-contact, polished, grain-oriented diamond stylus similar to the Jubilee’s, mated to less costly generator coils and housing. If you have never heard the £1900 London Decca Jubilee, you may well think the Super Gold is the world’s best cartridge. Subjectively, it offers 90% of Jubilee’s unrivalled musical realism. The DecaPod system can also be installed on this cartridge. The Martin Bastin designed Decapod aluminium mounting plate acts as a head shell weight and offers a better connection with the head shell.

Specifications:

• Stylus: extended line-contact
• Frequency range: 20Hz to 40kHz
• Output: 5mV
• VTF: 1.8g
• Weight: 6.7g