What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?

@audphile1 

Lol. You’re going to be fine

I am mindful that the shading plates attached just above the stylus are made of very thin beryllium.  In the atomic table, beryllium is the fourth lightest element after hydrogen, helium and lithium.  It is an alkaloid metal much lighter than aluminium but stiffer than mild steel and highly stable.  Of relevance to @lewm it is non-magnetic. But it is also very brittle, very very expensive, highly highly highly toxic and hard to fabricate.  Shure used if for some cantilevers in the V15 series.

I guess that's why the next element up, boron, now finds favour.

My DAC has some sort of vibration deadening material affixed to the inside of its lid. When I tap on it, it’s solid as hell. Not sure if they managed the PCB vibration or they just didn’t think it was needed. 
My integrated amp produces no resonance when you tap on front, back, top or sides. It’s like a tank. I don’t even think any vibration short of earthquake can impact it. 
Now turntable and cartridge is where the vibrations can creep in and mess us up. 
 

The approach Soulnote chose to use is definitely interesting and I admire it. Just another way to skin the cat. 
 

I’m curious to know what particular frequencies excite the phono stage chassis and PCB to impact the sound quality. I have no way to measure it though. 

@audphile1 

I’m curious to know what particular frequencies excite the phono stage chassis and PCB to impact the sound quality. I have no way to measure it though

I am just the poor interpreter / reporter here! 

SoulNote would probably say you are using your frequency brain.  Tapping is time dependent, not frequency dependent.

They would also say don't measure first, first use your ears.  Almost all easy measurements are in the frequency domain, but they say these, when optimised for frequency, are often detrimental to the real sound quality which is always in the time domain.

100% with you on turntable / cartridge resonances.  I often tap mine to see if my sorbothane hemispheres are calculated correctly, and / or are settling under 60-kgs load.  There's probably some mythical burn-in time for them, and they need to keep away from the Holbo's resonances!

Massive panels store energy for longer.  Lightweight panels dissipate it earlier (time domain brain).

I also find it interesting that SoulNote likes lightweight interconnects.  Obviously they are less likely to transmit resonances than stiff, heavy interconnects.

After all, our entire universe and everything in it resonates

So I had to ask ChatGPT do resonances affect the sound of electronic components

Unwanted Audio Effects (Noise)

Unintended resonances in electronic components or the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) itself can cause undesirable acoustic noise, often referred to as "coil whine" or "buzzing". 

• Component Vibration: Phenomena like the piezoelectric effect or magnetostriction can cause components (especially capacitors and inductors) to vibrate physically in response to oscillating electrical signals.
• Audible Noise: If these mechanical vibrations occur within the human hearing range, they can produce an annoying audible buzz or rattle, especially if the PCB or enclosure amplifies the vibration at its own natural frequency.
• Signal Interference: These vibrations can also be converted back into unwanted electrical signals (microphonics), which introduce noise and distortion into the audio output, subtly affecting the clarity and fidelity of the sound. 

You know this discussion inspired me to try a spare set of nobsprings that I have under my Whest phono stage. I have to find them first. But I will report my findings. 

Unfortunately my entire analog setup is not optimized from placement standpoint -at the moment I have the table next to speaker, phono stage is currently on the floor (pergo on concrete). Speaker cabinets are solid but the speakers fart backwards which I manage with bass traps but still. This is my recent few months old get back to vinyl setup