Benz-Micro Glider H, Soundsmith upgrade
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| Condition | |
| Payment methods |       |
| Ships from | New York, NY, 10025 |
| Ships to | United States |
| Package dimensions | 5.0" × 5.0" × 5.0" (1.0 lbs.) |
| Shipping carriers | USPS, UPS or FedEx |
| Shipping cost | Log in to see price |
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Don't be shy: I'm entertaining any reasonable offer!
It has been pointed out that there appear to be dings and marks on the cartridge. This is a trick of the lighting and the camera, and I will stake my 100% feedback rating on the condition of this cartridge being excellent. The body is in nice condition, and the cantilever and stylus by Soundsmith have only 6 hours of use playing albums cleaned with a Loricraft. It is rated 7/10 for age...
This is a first generation Glider that lived for many years happily on a Rega RB-300 with Pete Riggle mods. An enthusiastic cleaning person pulled the diamond off and did a bit of damage to the boron cantilever, so off it went to Peter L at Soundsmith. (Off the cleaning person went too.) They performed their top of the line cantilever and stylus replacement. Here's what they say about it:
Our new Boron cantilever and ultra low mass Contact Line stylus is an excellent replacement for those who desire to have the Boron material used. Our new Boron cantilever holds a Nude "Contact Line" diamond of a low mass design. This combination of Boron cantilever and low mass stylus creates an ultra low mass system, capable of the finest reproduction from your cherished vinyl. The Contact Line Diamond has three times the contact area in the vertical direction of the groove wall compared to an elliptical shaped diamond. This lowers the force per unit area on both the diamond and the record groove, resulting in lower record and diamond wear.
This was a $450 repair that resulted in a stunningly good cartridge. The original was already wonderful, but Soundsmith brought it to a new level. I have the original Specifications sheet and frequency trace, but they really don't apply any more, after the upgrade.
But what a cartridge! You'll get the amazing Glider motor with its pure iron cross coil, and Soundsmith's top boron cantilever and Contact Line diamond, with a grand total of 6 hours on it (plus you get a Marigo dot, which has successfully controlled resonances on this cartridge for years).This cartridge outperforms competition costing 2-3 times as much. Amazing prodigious bass, lush midrange, and fast and articulate highs, without any strain. This is a keeper, but I have simply way too many cartridges, some of which will be listed shortly, and I need to pare down my stuff.
This cartridge works wonderfully on medium mass arms. The Rega/Benz combo was really really good. I also used it for a while on a Grado Lab Series wood, and it was lovely. It also loves VPI arms.
Frequency Response: 20 - 20kHz (though I think it is now better)
Channel separation: >35 dB at 1 kHz
Compliance: 15 um/mN
Recommended loading: 1000- 47K Ohms
Recommended tracking force: 1.8 - 2.0 grams
Output voltage: 1.9 mV @ 3.54 cm/s
Mass: 6.6 grams
I take very good care of my equipment, and everything I sell is well-packed. Please reach out with any questions!
Questions for the seller |
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| I have few questions about the Glider. How old is the cartridge? How long ago did Soundsmith do the upgrade? You rate it a 7/10, and I see some cosmetic dings for sure. Is the cartridge sound performance-wise? Finally, since it sounds like you have far more experience than I in these matters, I was wondering about your opinion as to compatibility with my old Modulus preamp phone section (which is not terribly gainy). I have a high output dynavector 20x on my table now and I have to boost the volume quite a bit to get to a good listening volume. That has produced some hum. I’ve read loads of great things about the Glider, but I’m a little concerned about its output. Your opinion would be appreciated. Thanks.
John Hi John,
Thanks for the questions! The Benz looks worse in the pics than in real life. It was very well cared for, and has no actual dings, just some discoloration and some fuzzies stuck to the Marigold dot! The motor is a first generation (before Benz started selling variations of output) from 1996. I bought it to replace a Sumiko Blue Point Special on a Rega Planar 3. What a difference!! The Cartridge loves arms like the Rega RB 300 - medium mass. The Soundsmith work was done in June of 2020, and has had no more than a few hours, as i have about 35 cartridges (yikes!). The output of this model is .9, which makes it basically a medium output level. Does the Modulus have an MC phono section? I thought it was MM only...if it is just MM, you'll need a good step-up transformer or MC phono pre-preamp to get the gain up to where you aren't listening at 11...;) the Dynavector is a much higher output, at 2.8 mV, which tells me you are running your MC cartridge through an MM phono section. The Glider won't work at all, as it is almost 1/3 of the output voltage! This Glider is really a great performer: the Soundsmith cantilever and diamond are their top of the line, and puts this cartridge into a completely different league. |
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