Curious Why Benz Micro Slid Into Obscurity
I remember there was a time when Benz Micro was one of the more prominent cartridge manufacturers out there. The Ace and Glider sure were popular cartridges. Then there was a hiatus in production. The company recognition seems to have never recovered. There are still new cartridges for sale on the various sites. But none of ther upper tier cartridges seem to gather the same recognition or praise that the earlier cartridges did.
Is perception of them changed that much, or is it the fact that the brand has aged out? Are the designs that dated to where people no longer believe quality and value are there?
That is pretty much the definition of speculation....guessing. Yet this is observation. Go back and look at threads of recommend me a cartridge. The answers rarely, if ever say Benz Micro, and never a specific cartridge. We hear Hana, Dynavector, Koetsu, Ortofon, and Audio Technica on a regular basis. I cannot remember a Benz Micro recommendation.
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@lewm You have statistical support for the claim that "what cartridges" are at a price point of $1K or less? Even so that category used to be one where the ACE was a major player. Looks like the current model is about $900. It just struck me as odd that such an iconic company has become so unnoticed. Perhaps this is not so on the European boards, I do not frequent them. But on the sites I have visited they are rarely discussed anymore, at least that is what I see.
PS The top models of any moving coil manufacturer ain’t cheap either. |
@mulveling Thanks for the post. It is informative. I find it intriguing that they build their cartridge frames out of brass versus many of the more exotic materials being used. The LP and LP-S looks to sell.for $5K which is not terribly high in the world of exotic upper tier moving coil cartridges.
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