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'Diamond' cantilevers: a man's best friend?

An increasing number of cartridge manufacturers is offering models with 'diamond' cantilevers at the top of their range, generally priced at the wrong side of $10k. The price hike compared to - otherwise identical - models with boron (or other) cantilevers runs in the multiple thousands.

Can anyone explain why? Is this just an artificial price point to emphasize exclusivity or does it have to do with material or manufacturing cost, even if there's not much material to begin with? And speaking of artificial, are these cantilevers made from 'real' diamond, or some industrial type? Are all diamond cantilevers created equal or do we see a variety of diamond-like materials sold as 'real' diamond? And what about the rare 'one piece' diamond stylus/cantilevers used in a few vintage cartridges (Sony XL-88D, Dynavector, Kiseki Lapis Lazuli); are these new top dollar diamond cantilever cartridges (like some Koetsu's, Ortofon MC Century, Transfiguration Orpheus Diamond, etc.) of the 'one piece' type? And if not, what is the presumed advantage compared to ruby, sapphire, boron or any other cantilever materials? In short: does anyone know what the 'diamond' cantilever landscape really looks like?

And finally the really important question: do 'diamond' cantilevers - all else being equal - offer superior performance that would begin to justify the price difference? Has anyone done the required comparative listening?

PS: a have a nice collection of MC's with a variety of cantilever materials: sapphire, ruby, boron, aluminium, beryllium, or some combination of materials. But not 'diamond' (real or otherwise), so I'm curious to find out if I'm missing out on something.



edgewear
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
@invictus- While it may be true, that diamond is heavy, Dynavector has skirted that, by using a very short/small cantilever in their Karats.
jpjones3318's avatar
jpjones3318
117 posts
 

From this follows that ''one piece'' diamond /stylus combo like by Sony 88 D is superior to glued in styli.


:)

http://fidelisanalog.com/2018/10/20/sony-xl-88d/

invictus005
597 posts
 
@rodman99999 Yup, that’s one way to do it. Ortofon MC Century also has a rather truncated diamond cantilever and it’s my favorite sounding MC cartridge of all time. However, I would still take a 2M Black over it. Just cannot accept the MC sound character. It’s significantly distorted from source tape. 

In today’s world, aluminum pipe, or aluminum alloy pipe is the way to go.

But if it was cost no object and it was still manufactured, I would take boron pipe as the ultimate cantilever. 
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
"Just cannot accept the MC sound character. It’s significantly distorted from source tape. " Way too many MCs/arms/alignments/loadings, for me to make a blanket statement(though you may have been referring only to the Ortofon). I do also enjoy my Soundsmith SMMC1-M, MI, with it’s ruby cantilever(an Aida, in a different shell). An exemplary match, for my Magnepan arm.

terry9
931 posts
 
I have been in love with the Koetsu sound since 1976, but my first one was a gift from wife a few years ago: Rosewood Signature Platinum with diamond cantilever.

The cantilever and stylus are ground from one piece of clear white diamond. So it is promoted, and so it appears.

Sound is the most refined I have ever heard in my system. The only sound close is the Miyajima Zero mono. My system has changed too much (air bearing tonearm and TT) for previous comparisons to be meaningful, so there are only a few cartridges which can be compared: London Decca, Dynavector, Nottingham T4 (MM), AN Io, Zero and KRSP. In increasing order of preference.

But there is a very strong caveat here: set-up. My set-up skills, patience, and instrumentation have improved considerably in the last years, and so, for all I know, the Decca would be king of the heap if set up as carefully as the Zero and KRSP.
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