Curious Why Benz Micro Slid Into Obscurity

@normb omg, the Glider SL is so damn good for the money, isn’t it? Makes you wonder how you get all that for under $1K. And yes, it absolutely clobbers the 2M Black.

@wrm57 the Ebony TR is such an interesting model, and I’m sorry I never tried it yet. I have a regular Ebony L, which is quite excellent in its slot. Yep, 40x SUT is pretty much required for TR. I was also curious though, what about a 5x - 10x SUT (like a Sky 10) combined with a moderate voltage gain active MC stage (even Benz's own PP-1 @ 62dB). The math works out well. That might also be an excellent combination. 

One of the big things to realize about Benz cartridges is the line of demarcation around coil former (armature) used. From Ebony and down you have the iron cross. These models are a super match with SUT’s, but also work very well with all active gain stages (voltage or current injection). For Ruby, Gullwing, and LP/S models you have a ruby plate. Magnetically, this is not nearly as efficient. These models do NOT work well with a SUT or current injection - use active voltage gain ONLY. I tried so many ways with the LPS and various SUT’s. Unfortunately, my affinity for a good SUT (in place of an active MC gain stage) is SO high, I actually end up preferring the lower Benz models.

@mulveling , yes, this is precisely why I stay with the LO Ebony models, because of their suitability for SUTs. I also have an Ebony L that I quite like. The L and TR are certainly cut from the same cloth, with the TR bringing another measure of refinement and clearer sense of unmediated communication. It is wonderful cartridge.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Michael Fajen and I am the president of Sierra Sound. Sierra Sound has been the Benz Micro distributor for the USA since mid-2020. I can tell you that Benz Micro is alive and well, continuing to produce some of the highest quality moving coil cartridges in the world. Albert Lukaschek is still at the helm, auditioning each cartridge that leaves the factory personally as he always has done, and I am in regular contact with him. The SLR Gullwing just received a glowing review in Stereophile last month that I encourage everyone to read.

Benz Micro has never stopped or paused production. They have shifted production towards higher-end models, and there was a period of time between 2018 and 2020 where there was no Benz distribution in the USA. During this time there was a lot of speculation and rumor about the factory closing, the owner dying, retiring, going out of business, etc. None of these rumors were true. Ernst Benz, who was the namesake and founder of the company, died in 2014, but he had no direct involvement with the company at that time, having sold it to Mr. Lukaschek in the 1990s.

As the original poster pointed out, Benz Micro is not aggressively advertised in the USA. Benz Micro is a small factory in which literally everything is hand assembled. There are no automated coil winding machines, no presses spitting out plastic cartridge bodies by the hundreds... It is possibly the last remaining truly handmade cartridge around. This means production can be slow and availability is subject to change. As distributor I try to find a balance between supply and demand, and there is no reason to advertise heavily if we can already easily sell all of what we can get.

The hand-made nature of Benz Micro cartridges is a bit of a mixed blessing- the high quality materials and robust engineering used also make the cartridges fairly easy to repair and refurbish compared to the competition. As such, grey market Benz Micro sellers do exist. Whether these sellers peddle in new, used, refurbished, B-stock, working, or defective items, is unknown. Grey market sellers will often obscure the serial# of the cartridges in order to hide the age and/or history of the cartridge. Proceed at your own risk with such sellers.

I hope this post helps clear things up a bit. I’m not very active on forums, so I will likely not be able to continue posting on this thread to address any follow-up questions you may have, but please feel free to contact me through the website www.sierrasound.net or by email directly at mike@sierrasound.net. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about Benz Micro or any of our other analog products.

Best Regards,

Michael Fajen

President, Sierra Sound

@sierrasoundllc 

I purchased a Zebra L through Osage Audio two years back. I can't recommend it enough. The sound quality is amazing with all the great hyperbole and analogies you could call out. Add to it their trade-in replacement deals, then a Benz becomes a no brainer. Thanks for popping in here to clarify, and keep up the good work.

@sierrasoundllc 

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Thank you for participating in this thread.

I'm the proud owner of the Ruby ZH and absolutely love it.  I'm curious, what is the current policy for trade-in and/or rebuilding this cartridge?

Best wishes,

Don