Grado RS Reference Sonata Cartridge made for VPI

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General:
These were made for VPI and often included with some VPI 'tables.

I don't see a "V" designation so this is probably the high output version = 1.5mv.

Well cared for showing little signs of use.

Tested and measuring properly.
Grado's Sonata is a perennial Stereophile favorite and one of our best selling Grado cartridges. The Sonata has a full rich sound, with a glorious midrange presence other cartridges can't match. Bass is taut and deep and the Sonata has a silky top end that seduces you into listening for hours at a time.

The newly redesigned Sonata has a reconfigured coil design reducing the effective moving mass of the generating system by 17%. Hand-assembled within a machined, Australian Jarrah wood housing. The Sonata1 uses a modified four piece OTL cantilever technology achieving a 10% tip mass reduction over the Prestige series and ultra-high purity long crystal (UHPLC) oxygen free copper wire in the coils. The Sonata uses Grado's specially designed nude elliptical diamond mounted.

Brand Background:
Founded in Brooklyn, NY, Grado Labs has been perfecting the art of sonic reproduction through headphones and cartridges since 1953. Through three generations the family has kept the tradition of putting sound first.

Founded in Brooklyn, NY, Grado Labs has been perfecting the art of sonic reproduction through headphones and cartridges since 1953. 

Through three generations the family has kept the tradition of putting sound first.

Cosmetic Condition:
8. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab.

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 blow it dry with compressed air.

We then perform a more detailed inspection with our Wild Heerbrugg professional microscope. From there we can asses the wear and quality of the stylus and determine how much use it has had 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 photo os the cantilever for future reference.

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

On certain cartridges and it the technician feels necessary we install the unit on a turntable and run a few test records to ascertain tacking ability, distortion and compliance.