Clearaudio Performer & Artist Ebony v2 Series Cartridges

Clearaudio Performer v2 Ebony & Artist v2 Ebony Wood Body Phono Cartridges – $400 US Retail (Performer v2 Ebony), $600 US Retail (Artist v2 Ebony). These new (released fall 2012) Clearuadio Ebony v2 series cartridges replace the very well known and reviewed Aurum wood body series MM’s cartridges and contain several improvements that build upon the Aurum series cartridges and take the already good Aurum carts up a notch at very similar price points. All Clearaudio MM cartridges feature a long lifespan, robust construction, high output, wide channel separation (big soundstage), extremely linear frequency response, coherent imaging, superior dynamics (through the use of special strong magnets), compatibility with all current tonearms, hand selected, and are made in Germany. These wood body cartridges use a Ebony wood mounting plate (a wood known for its especially musical qualities).

With the V2 series of MM cartridges, Clearaudio set new standards in the technical parameters of impedance, inductance, load capacitance and sensitivity. Ongoing research and development have enabled us to attain near perfect balance of the stereo channels, reduce distortion to vanishing levels and increase output level with a flat frequency response to provide a vivid and enthralling musical performance.

All of Clearuadio’s Ebony MM V2 cartridges deliver the following enhancements over earlier models:

A resonance-optimized ebony housing for less coloration and more natural sound
More powerful magnets producing greater dynamic range
Higher output voltage for lower noise levels.

The Performer V2, Artist V2 and Virtuoso V2 all feature aluminum cantilevers and double polished elliptical styli. Both make for great matches for Rega Research tables from our own listening.

Clearuaudio Artist and Performer Ebony v2 Series Wood Body Cartridge Basic Technical Specifications:

Frequency range: 23 Hz – 20 kHz
Output Voltage (1 kHz, 5cm/s): ~ 3.6 mV
Channel Separation: >26 dB Channel balance: > 0.8 dB
Recommended tracking force: 2.0 g
Electrical impedance: 0.66 kOhm
Coil inductance: 0.40 H
Load resistance: 47 kOhm
Load capacitance: 100 pF
Cantilever: Aluminum
Weight: 7.4 grams
Warranty: 2 years Manufacturers Warranty

: Clearaudio Artist v2 Ebony MM Phono Cartridge

: Clearaudio Performer v2 Ebony MM Phono Cartridge

Analog, Phono Cartridges

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How good is the Hana SL MC cartridge... here is just one of many very favorable reviews: www.analogplanet.com/content/hana-sl-mc-750-versus-ortofon-quintet-black-s-mc-999

Some more comments on the Hana SL from a Part-Time Audiophile review: "Completely lacking pretense, or subterfuge, this is a cartridge for honest music reproduction, and for those who honestly love music. It is incredibly quiet in the groove, so quiet in fact that at times when waiting for the first track to start I jumped up because I thought I hadn’t lowered the tonearm. While it may not have the cachet of a Benz Micro, or the safe sonic recognition of a Dynavector (both of which are brands I have tremendous respect for), at $750 USD it simply cannot be overlooked, ignored or unknown. It is a bargain of musicality at this price, with proper set-up, and in the right tonearm it will absolutely sing for years to come thanks to its long-wearing Shibata stylus, which should net an easy 2,000 hours of listening on clean, well cared for LPs. Highly recommend"

A vid from Micheal Fremer on the Loricraft: youtu.be/i10aywMj-7U

Another vid from the Orgin Live folks (well known in the UK for their modded Rega tonearms and other stuff) in the Uk on the Loricraft: youtu.be/76JgIhE5eQ8

I built a similar record cleaning machine. Diaphragm vacuum pumps and localized cleaning across the surface really does a good job at deep cleaning and saves your hearing.