The Cartridge and Stylus makes a big difference.


I am becoming more convinced that the cartridge and the most importantly, the stylus has a lot to do with good sound. I had Benz cartridges for years and always blamed my arm and table (VPI Scout) for mistracking and sound quality issues mainly sibilance.  As years go by I have learned that the Cartridge and Stylus have a lot to do with this problem.  Shame on Benz Micro for not making it right with me for years as I struggled with this.  Its amazing when I put a Lyra Delos on the same tonearm, my problems went away immediately.  Same thing with the Denon, the Ortofon, and so on.

My problems started with the ace, then the wood, then the ref and so on.  I always thought it was my table that was to blame.  I had a glider that was better but still had the same issues.  It was amazing when I had a new cantilever and stylus put on the glider by Andy Kim, my problems went away.  I should have known right there.  I am sure I am not the only one.  I took the Benz Micro Ref to a Linn dealer and had him install it on a 18K turntable and it did the same thing, maybe even worse.  So if you have a Benz and have experienced some of these issues, I assure you, you are not alone.  I hope they get there act together.  

Thanks to Lyra I am finally enjoying my music instead of trying to figure out what is not aligned properly and fiddling forever.
tzh21y
Wow! I have had a Benz Micro Gold and Wood SL on my VPI Scout 2 and both carts have been tiptop in regard to performance...

It's been a great tracker and I also have never heard a performance by Benz classified as "cold."

This leads me to assume it's a defect in the cartridge system in some way.

Good Luck!
Defect.... ya i would say, like about four in a row all doing the same things at the same places on the records. The only time I had a benz track decent is when Andy Kim retipped one for me lol.

I still think to get the most out of a Benz from the factory, it has to be on a 12 inch arm. That may help the tracking some but they all were sibilant, except the one retipped by Andy Kim. lol

I still think it has a lot to do with the stylus they use.
I always thought it was me until one day I was Youtube and the Linn specialist had one on a 18K table and it did the same thing.  lol.  OMG