What innovative, unconventional cartridge designs can you recommend?


Most cartridges have a stylus and cantilever where the transducer (magnet, iron or coil) sits on the far end of the cantilever.  What other designs are there?

I am mindful of two designs which put the business end right on top of the stylus.  The first is the moving coil (MC) Audio Technica AT-ART1000 which places two tiny coils, each 0.9-mm diameter, with eight turns of wire directly above the stylus.  Australian price is about AUD-7000 and there apparently is a newer model, slightly less exxe. the ART1000X.  This has square coils for a bit more output, and threaded mounting holes.

A downside is that stylus replacement involves a factory maintenance program and the Australian website page describing this service does not exist.

Another design is optical, exemplified by DS Audio's range.  While these still need a stylus to trace the groove, the signal is produced by reading the intensity of light produced by a Light Emitting Diode (LED) hitting two sensors.  Between the LED and the sensors are two 'shades' mounted above the stylus which change the amount of light as the stylus vibrates.  These cartridges need a special "photo-stage" to replace the conventional phono-stage which is an additional expense.

Australian prices including photo-stages range from AUD-2,150 for the DS-E1 to the DS Master 3 at approximately AUD-40,800, which is a bit outside my price range!  Where is the sweet spot?

What other way-out designs are there?

richardbrand

I daresay there are other three letter acronyms that might be suggested! Although, I am of the opinion that a longer abbreviation might be what is required here: LiCO₃.

@pindac 

There's no reason you should have to pay a tariff on your own cartridge making a round trip out of country, as long as all appropriate paperwork was filled correctly. This is a common situation.

I hope I'm right, because it looks like I'm about to embark in the same situation myself :)

Apologies for ranging off-topic.

 

The much wanted Service pulled the Plug on dealing with the UK, things got very messy at Brexit. 

Pre Brexit purchases were arriving at peoples doors with demands for near £100 fees to have the goods made available. Loads of purchases were left with the Postal Services. It is also from recollection, an occurrence that when the EU Vendor could be contacted, the same requests for monies was being sent. Carpet Baggers and unscrupulous services rode the confusion until their intentions were seen as futile. Hence mainland EU retracted from dealing with sending items to the UK that was typical to them prior to Brexit.

For the UK to export living animals, the Paper Trail to be produced for each export, was not achievable in a sensible time line. The activity was more than bordering on cruelty, as animals were contained in transport vehicles for substantially increased period than ever known.

Northern Irish Businesses that exported Elvers to mainland Europe in the Millions went Bankrupt very quickly, as each young Eel needed individual Paperwork and proven traceability.

Anybody who travelled regular in the EU, especially those with second homes, or long term deals done for accommodation, who could qualify through Hereditary for a non British Passport, acquired Passports for EU and non EU Countries, as traveling in mainland EU was to much freer than being British. This methodology spread like wildfire for multiples of UK residents wanting to got to the remaining  EU.

My own EU Properties are not visited for multiple years, which is a sad case to be attached to. 

I made some anagrams of the names of a couple of our most verbose posters, but thought it would probably be deleted.

Some decades ago on usenet there was a mantra: post quality, not quantity.