Sumiko ‘s new Oriole MC cartridge features a bare Shibata stylus (6.5 x 40 µm), a reinforced aluminum cantilever (0.5 mm), and high-purity copper coils. The Oriole weighs 7.3 grams. It also features a low-impedance 5.5 ohm generator with a 0.3 mV output voltage. According to the designers, these improvements reduce moving mass, improve groove tracking, and provide greater depth, better transient response, and more spatial information. The Oriole also features a striking orange housing.
Sumiko explains its design philosophy as follows: “Our open-architecture Reference Series cartridges minimize the potential for coloration and distortion caused by energy buildup that sometimes occurs in the housings of conventional cartridges. Internal resonance is dampened in the generator, while the remaining resonance is dissipated upward through the bonded mounting plate and headstock and then downward through the tonearm. The Peek mounting plate for the generator maximizes stability and energy transfer, while the rigid alloy headstock acts as a conductor through which that energy exits the cartridge.”
The Oriole MC cartridge specifications include the stated internal impedance of 5.5 Ohms (1 kHz), a load impedance of greater than 55 Ohms, a frequency response of 12 Hz to 45 kHz, an output signal of 0.3 mV (3.54 cm/sec, 1 kHz), a channel separation of 30 dB (1 kHz), a channel balance within and margin of 0.5 dB (1 kHz), a capacitance of 100 pF to 200 pF, a vertical scan angle of 20 degrees, a stylus force range of 1.8 grams to 2.2 grams, and a recommended stylus force of 2.0 grams.
Price and delivery information have yet to be announced.
