Transfiguration Proteus MC Cartridge

The ORPHEUS held the title of Japanese manufacturer Transfiguration’s benchmark cartridge for many years, considered by many in the industry press and beyond as one of the top 4 or 5 cartridges in the world. And we have to admit we can see why! We were very sad when Transfiguration announced they were discontinuing the product. But the good news is that this special product has now been replaced by the PROTEUS. It shares many of the technological features developed for its predecessor, but all of its components have been improved, modified and optimised. Like the Phoenix MKIII, it has an aluminium body which allows for control over resonance frequency. It is fitted with a 0.3mm solid boron cantilever attached to a high-quality Ongura stylus, shaped into a highly complex and precise profile (PA 3x30 microns). The coils use a pure silver (5N) conductor and are connected to a highly powerful magnetic circuit which uses neodymium magnets. It has a relatively low output level of 0.2mV and an internal impedance of 1 Ohm! It does not have very low compliance, which means that it should be used with a tonearm that has a medium to high effective mass.

Once all of the elements had been put together (vinyl turntable, tonearm and phono preamp, all of a similar high quality) and broken in for a few hours, the results left us speechless. We were particularly impressed by the authenticity and lack of colouration of the reproduction. All registers sound so clean it was as if a veil had been lifted, giving the overall sound a rare presence and precision. The level of detail is astounding across the spectrum, from the bass all way up to the treble. No one register can be heard over another - everything seemed to be in perfect harmony. The dynamic range and frequency response are also exceptional, and the textures are incredibly subtle and precise.

Another industry benchmark from the genius of Mr Yoshioka! The Transfiguration Proteus is sure to become one of the best moving coil cartridges on the market. With all of the excellent Japanese production quality we know and love, this cartridge truly is a work of art. We would highly recommended it to even the most exacting of audiophiles.