Benz Micro ACE SL Moving Coil Cartridge - Pre-Loved

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General:
The Benz Micro ACE SL is a Swiss-made, moving coil phono cartridge that stands out with its striking transparent red body as part of the refined S-line series.

Designated as the low-output variant, it delivers an output of 0.4 mV at 3.54 cm/sec with a coil impedance of 12 ohms, making it ideally suited for MC phono stages featuring 60 dB or higher of gain.

Key features include a precision Shibata stylus that ensures deep groove tracing, exceptional high-frequency retrieval, and minimized record wear, all housed within a rigid, resonance-optimized cartridge body engineered to maintain structural integrity and suppress unwanted mechanical vibrations.

Tested on our calibration bench and working + sounding fantastic.

From Benz Micro: 
ACE stands for “Advanced Cartridge Engineering” and with the ACE S series, consumers have another cost effective solution for purchasing Benz Micro’s hand-made Swiss cartridges. While incorporating the Benz Dynascan S stylus, improved generators using coil windings and refined pole pieces, the ACE S cartridges are suitable for a wide range of turntables.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Cartridge looks new, Stylus is in great shape.

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

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

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:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Original MSRP:
$1,495.00

Specs:
• Output Voltage (3.54cm/sec) – 0.4 mV
• Stylus shape: Micro Ridge
• Stylus shape: 5 x 120µm
• Internal ohms: 12
• Loading range: >100
• Weight: 8.8 grams f
• Compliance: 15cu (Low)
• Tracking: 1.6-1.9 grams

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.