Glanz moving magnet cartridges

The largest high-end distributor in Italy (Giancarlo Bonetti) teamed up with Japanese Mitachi Corporation in the 80’s to release a dedicated custom made phono cartridge called Azzurra Esoter. In 1983 Italian yacht Azzurra from Sardinia won Louis Vuitton Cup held in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The City of Newport is located approximately 119 km south of Boston. Azzurra, skippered by Mauro Pelaschier (Yacht Club Costa Smeralda), came 3rd in that competition. The original Azzurra team was very popular in Italy at that time, they got even their own phono cartridge which is a nice souvenir!

A friend of mine is djing with this pair of Azzurra Esoter and they are quite nice (and very cheap) for this purpose with 0.5mm bonded Conical tip just like the 0.5mm Astatic MF-2502 (they are all have bonded conical tips).

For audiophiles there are much better cartridges from the same Japanese manufacturer (Mitachi Corporation). Here is my ex Glanz MFG-31L with nude LineContact stylus on Aluminum cantilever.

And the ultimate Glanz MFG-61 with special "PH" type stylus on the most expensive Boron cantilever. I’m not surpriced that Glanz/Mitachi engineers preferred BORON for their top of the line model of Moving Flux cartridge. That was the pinnacle of MF design reached in the early 80’s as you can read in the manual. Few more pictures of the Glanz 61 in my system about 3-4 years ago on different arms/turntables: on Reed 3p / SP10mkII and on upgraded SL1210mkII

I’M GONNA TELL YOU THE SHOCKING NEWS:

GLANZ = MITACHI

Glanz is a family brand owned by Mitachi Cotrporation.

This is one of the reason why the very best Moving Flux cartridge was made ONLY under the Glanz name, because they own Galnz and they own Moving Flux patent.

The best MF cartridge was made in Japan by Japanese engineers for Japan, and distributed overseas too.

Astatic (US/Canada) is just like Azzurra (Italy) did absolutely nothing, except the sales of the japanese cartridges in different cosmetic design such as different color and different logo on it. They did not engineered those carts, they got them from Mitachi (Japan). And the manufacturer just made them slightly different (Shibata instead of LineContact on the same cheap alumimum cantilevers for example). Astatic is not better than Glanz. That’s it, face it.  

more to follow soon ...

Dear chakster, Thanks for all your efforts to inform your co-members
about MM carts in general and Glanz in particular. But I want to
first explain difference with Astatic kind. Both Glanz and Astatic
ordered their samples with specific requirements. Astatic ordered
output of 4.2 mV and Shibata styli while Glanz output is 3.5 mV
and either line contact or elliptical styli. 
I am not sure how damping is constructed by MM carts. I do know
how those with ''tension wire'' are constructed. When we look at 
your pictures of Glanz 61, 31 and 71 we can clearly see the aluminum tube behind the cantilever. This is usual by MC carts and
is called ''joint pipe'' IN which the cantilever is glued and ON which
the coils are fastened. The same ''pipe'' is connected with the
generator with tension wire. To put this otherwise there is no such
thing as ''pure boron'' or other ''exotic cantilever'' because the
aluminum tube behind them is part of the moving parts. To my
knowledge retip of one MM cart is done by cutting the existent
cantilever and gluing the new cantilever IN or OVER the restant
of the old cantilever. That is why I never retiped any MM cart.
By MC kinds also damping can be easy changed by loosening
the tension wire , removing the the moving part and installing the
''rubber ring'' on the generator behind the coils. 

@nandric 

Dear chakster, Thanks for all your efforts to inform your co-members
about MM carts in general and Glanz in particular. But I want to
first explain difference with Astatic kind. Both Glanz and Astatic
ordered their samples with specific requirements. Astatic ordered
output of 4.2 mV and Shibata styli 

My friend, you're a bit wrong:
 Astatic MF-2500 (claimed by the Mexican to be the best of Astatic) has 3mV Ouput and Line Contact Stylus on aluminum cantilever, just look the the manual.

while Glanz output is 3.5 mV and either line contact or elliptical styli.  

You're right about Glanz output, but you're wrong about styli, because Glanz 61 has Special PH stylus, look at the manual.  Both Glanz and Astatic have some cheap models with Nude and Bonded Elliptical and even with Conical styli too. You're right that Shibata profile available only with Astatic. But Glanz has PH stylus on top model. 

The difference between PH Stylus and LineContact stylus is here. 

Specification for ALL Glanz (except 61) is on page-1 and page-2 

This is PH Stylus on Boron (61) and this is LineContact Stylus on Aluminum (31L). 

When we look at your pictures of Glanz 61, 31 and 71 we can clearly see the aluminum tube behind the cantilever.

Yes, Glanz 61 has aluminum collar (joint pipe) around the Boron Rod cantilever, just like the most expensive Nagaoka MP-500 btw. I have better cartridges than Glanz 61, but they are from different manufacturers and much more expensive. 

Even with a joint pipe hebing the Boron Rod cantilever the Glanz 61 is clearly the best model made by Mitachi. This is all i'm trying to say (and explaining why).  

To put this otherwise there is no such thing as ''pure boron'' or other ''exotic cantilever'' because the aluminum tube behind them is part of the moving parts. 

Well, not on all vintage MM, my Grace LEVEL II and F14 does not have a joint pipe behing the Boron cantilevers. They are all have pure Boron, Ruby, Sapphire, Beryllium, Ceramic cantilevers (depends on the model). 

To my knowledge retip of one MM cart is done by cutting the existent cantilever and gluing the new cantilever IN or OVER the restant of the old cantilever. That is why I never retiped any MM cart.

I don't retip MM cartridges, i don't buy refurbished MM cartridges, only originals and always looking for NOS genuine styli for them.