2. analog
  3. 186355-3976

Curious Why Benz Micro Slid Into Obscurity

I remember there was a time when Benz Micro was one of the more prominent cartridge manufacturers out there. The Ace and Glider sure were popular cartridges. Then there was a hiatus in production. The company recognition seems to have never recovered. There are still new cartridges for sale on the various sites. But none of ther upper tier cartridges seem to gather the same recognition or praise that the earlier cartridges did. 

Is perception of them changed that much, or is it the fact that the brand has aged out? Are the designs that dated to where people no longer believe quality and value are there?

neonknight
mulveling's avatar
mulveling
1,774 posts
 

@sbank 

Yes, I tried the LPS with Renaissance SE phono stage which has the same MC SUT inside as Ren V (also had a Ren V but did not use its onboard phono). Those Lundahl LL1931 worked OK on the 8x (lower) setting, but it was not my favorite. The VAC's MM stage is really wonderful, and the suboptimal MC match on LPS holds it back IMO. Just to be clear the LPS sound this way isn't bad, it's just not where I wanted it to be; I preferred Ebony L on this setup. 

For my preferences I got better LPS results from the Hagerman Trumpet MC, or even the Hagerman Piccolo (a JFET based step-up with flexible gain & loading) set at 26dB gain and 1K Ohm load into the VAC's MM mode (under $300 just to pick up a new Piccolo to try). Note the weakness of these Hagerman units a higher noise floor versus higher end MC JFET stages like a Herron or ARC Reference (and definitely versus a SUT). 

@chowkwan 

From everything I've read, and all my experience with other Benz's (the Glider SL with similar body is wonderful, one of my favorites), I'm almost certain I'd prefer the Gullwing model over LPS. Maybe by a lot. However its electrical matching issues will be the same as LPS. That is high praise indeed given your list of comparisons!!

chowkwan
151 posts
 

@sbank 

​​​I was a Benz guy for years, but naturally you're Lyra curious. And those other guys like Van Den Hull and Koetsu. Then there was a sale ...

Those other guys make great cartridges but the Gullwing is Der Kaiser. That it's also the cheapest is icing on the cake.

Herr Lukaschek kept urging me to try the Gullwing. So just to humor him and wow. Oceans of bass compared to its big brother the LP. And this huge sound. You get the full symphony orchestra.

​

sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 

Thank you all for your comments. Cheers,

Spencer

narrowfellow
15 posts
 

Great thread, I'm learning all about my Benz Gliders! I've got one of the originals, .9mv output with no letter/number on it, and an H2 which is, I think 2.5mv output. I'm currently using the .9mv OG Glider with a Graham Slee Gram Amp 2SE and a Lounge Copla headamp. It sounds really nice but I feel like I'm not hearing all this cartridge can do. Would the right SUT do, or is the Graham Amp too much of a limitation? And if a SUT would do, which one for this cart? The SUT math just... well it hurts my brain to be honest. Rest of my system is a rewired Rega RB300, Linn LP12, Schiit Aegir, Zu DW6.

lewm
12,490 posts
 

It’s impossible to help with your question about using a SUT with a Benz Glider, because there are so many versions of the Glider. Can you be more specific? What is the voltage output and what is the internal resistance or impedance? The original Glider was a high output MC. I found it underwhelming.

More to discover