The British company Vertere Acoustics has released two new models of pickups for vinyl players – XtraX and Dark Saber .
The Vertere Acoustics XtraX MC head (€6,998) is housed in a lilac-colored anodized housing machined from a single billet of aluminum. The magnetic system uses a samarium-cobalt alloy, the coil is wound with the finest copper wire.
The telescopic needle holder is made of two types of aluminum alloy, which helps reduce its own resonance. The needle has a micro-elliptical sharpening with a radius of 7.5 x 15.5 microns, the sensitivity of the head is 0.45 mV, and the internal resistance is 40 Ohms. Recommended downforce – 2.05 grams, weight – 11.2 grams.
The Vertere Acoustics Dark Saber MM driver (€1,798) also has an all-aluminum body painted black. The design uses a magnetic system made of Alnico (aluminum-nickel-cobalt) alloy and pure copper coils. As in the older model, the needle holder is made of two types of aluminum alloy; the solid diamond needle also has a micro-ellipse sharpening.
The sensitivity of the head is 4.3 mV, internal resistance is 1000 Ohms. The suspension compliance is low, only 10 units, which will require the use of a tonearm with a medium or high effective mass. The head weight is 11.5 grams, the recommended clamping force is 2 grams.
Vertere Acoustics XtraX and Dark Saber cartridges will be available in the European market at the end of October 2023.