Benz Micro REF MC (Moving-Coil) Phono Cartridge

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General:
Handmade in Switzerland, Benz Micro phono cartridges represent some of the best in the industry.

This Benz Micro REF MC (Moving-Coil) phono cartridge is in great shape and presents well under our dedicated shop microscope. It's ready for many more hours of playback.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Some small chips in the cartridge body. Very good condition otherwise.

Brand Background:
Founded by original designer Ernst Benz in the 1980s, Benz Micro earned recognition throughout the world as one the top cartridge manufacturing companies. In 1994 Albert Lukaschek took over and after 20 years, Benz Micro announced their focus on the upper end Swiss hand-made phono cartridges.

Benz Micro’s current production team represents the ” best of the best ” for it’s state-of-the-art phono cartridge production.

Ownership:
Single Owner

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

Included:
Just the Unit

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Testing Process:
We start by doing a detailed physical inspection under light magnification to asses the cantilever condition, its position in the cartridge body, and the condition of the suspension.

We also inspect any coil wires and the output connections to make sure it hasn't been strained. We then perform a light cleaning with specialized agents and very carefully blow dry with compressed air.

Following that, we conduct a thorough examination using our Wild Heerbrugg professional microscope. From there we can asses the wear and quality of the stylus and determine how much use it has seen, and if there are any mechanical issues. We can also identify if it needs further cleaning or care.

We then move the cartridge to a digital microscope where we take photos of the cantilever and stylus for future reference.

Next we move to the test bench where we can check for continuity of each channel and resistance.

On certain cartridges (or if the technician feels necessary) we install the cartridge on a turntable and run several test records to ascertain tacking ability, distortion, and compliance.