Like its little sister the ACE, this Benz Micro Glider is also legendary! In fact, the Swiss manufacturer has been producing this cartridge for 15 years.
Benz Micro Glider SL: Output voltage
As with most models in the range, it is historically available with three output levels.
Here, we have the SL (SL=0,4mV) low output variant.
Benz Micro Glider SL: Needle
In this latest 'S' variant, the Benz Micro Glider SL is adorned with a beautiful Micro Ridge stylus profile fitted to a pure boron cantilever.
The generators have new “Pure Iron Cross” coils that use a high purity copper conductor.
A special o-ring seal, ideally designed to provide mechanical linearity and perfect elongation with the necessary precision to reproduce the subtleties without any colouration, holds the assembly together and serves as a damper.
The compliance of this Benz Micro Glider SL cartridge (15), combined with its weight (6.8 g) make it suitable for tonearms with average weight between 8 and 18 g.
Benz Micro Glider SL: Body
Its overall mass was reduced by dispensing with the cartridge body. That’s right, its guts are showing!
The product is crafted, assembled and tested meticulously in Benz Micro's new workshop in Switzerland, under the expert eyes and ears of Albert Lukaschek.
Benz Micro Glider SL: Listening and test review
After a break-in period of about forty hours recommended by the manufacturer, you'll immediately notice and be impressed by the timbre quality of this cartridge.
The Glider SL Hi-Fi cartridge shows a refined and subtle sound quality. At lower volumes, it sounds more detailed than with competitors’ cartridges and we especially noted “cleaner” vocals than usual.
But it still manages to remain very neutral and transparent, which really helps picking out instruments, recording locations as well as some studio effects.
A particularly expressive and musical cartridge which is a benchmark in its category.
We recommend this product to audiophiles everywhere without hesitation...
AWARD:
The Absolute Sound - Editor's Choice Award - 2017
FranckType: Low output MC
Output: 0.4 mV
Cantilever: Solid boron, 0.28 mm
Stylus type: Micro Ridge , mirror polish, 3x60 um
VTA: 20 degrees
Coils: Pure Iron Cross
Compliance: 15cU
Internal impedance: 24ohms
Frequency response: 20-20 kHz
Channel balance: > 0.5db
Channel separation: > 35db à 1kHz
Tracking force: 1.7-2 grams
Weight: 6.8 grams
Recommended load: > at 100 ohms
Break-in: 40 hours
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Customer reviews
La Benz glider SL fait revivre ma LP 12
Après vingt années de fidélité à la klyde, il fallait bien la remplacer, ma vieille LP 12 de 1984, très endormie, à l'agonie, a retrouvé la vie grâce aux mains expertes de Franck qui l'a ranimée avec une merveilleuse Micro Benz SL qui s'associe parfaitement au bras Ittock VII, d'une part, et révisé l'alimentation, remplacé les ressorts d'autre part.
Reliée au préampli phono Jolida JD9,non rodés tous les deux (40 h ) c'est un plaisir inimaginable pour moi de rédécouvrir, l'écoute d'un vinyle, même très vieux.
Merci Franck.
jjm35