The Wellfleet Moving Magnet Nude Elliptical Stylus Cartridge is the latest addition to the Rainier family from Sumiko Phono Cartridges. The brand has applied and redesigned its award-winning Moonstone cartridge design, reconfiguring the suspension for optimal elliptical diamond performance with the existing oscillator and resonance-optimized Rainier series cabinet.
Wellfleet uses a highly polished, uncoated elliptical stylus that eliminates friction between the needle tip and the shank. In the new assembly, excess mass in the shank is sheared off to further reduce tip mass, resulting in a faster, more direct and more accurate cantilever and magnet response to stylus movement. Sonically, this increases processing speed and focuses central images, drawing them towards the listener with increased attention to detail, according to Sumiko.
“With Wellfleet, vocals are immediate, crisp and detailed, the warmth of the human vocals more evident with hints of creaking and accentuated subtleties, enhanced by tight and well-controlled bass. Backing vocals become easier to distinguish, and the listener will be able to distinguish different instruments, such as the rattling of snare strings or the woody sound of a vintage acoustic guitar. Listeners will hear an improvement in surface noise and experience a more distant background, making it easier to create a deep-slung image,” the company added.