The Elite is an ultrahigh-performance low-output moving coil cartridge which incorporates all ofGoldring's most time-honoured design features. These include advanced magneticcircuitry with neodymium magnet and an ultra-rigid Pocan® body. The Eliteincorporates a Gyger S line-contact nude diamond stylus, providing maximumgroove information retrieval and an outstandingly smooth and extended frequencyresponse. The Swedish iron armature is hand-wound with pure silver wire whichprovides much higher definition than is found in standard record cartridgeconstruction.
The Elite represents the very bestin traditional British audio technology and design.
The Elite uses a nude, natural-diamond stylus with a Gyger S profile. Thisis a revolutionary, patented, line contact design which is shaped to moreclosely resemble the record cutting head than any previous type. It features asubstantially flat frontal area and a triangular trailing section with thecontact radii being at opposite ends of the front edge. These radii arenecessarily larger than that of the cutting head but still small enough for theplayback of quadraphonic recordings, at a minute 6 microns. The stylus profileis the main factor governing overall sound quality in a cartridge and theline-contact shape of the Gyger S allows the Elite to trace the smallest groovedetail with complete fidelity. Mid-range tonality is incredibly accurate andprecise with high frequency sibilance banished.
The Elite uses a neodymium (NdFeB), rare-earth, permanent magnet; thestrongest type commercially available. This gives us the opportunity to shortenthe magnetic circuit in the cartridge and still achieve the required fieldstrength in the pole shoe gap. In this way the overall mass of the cartridgehas been reduced to help improve trackability and make it compatible with awider range of tonearms.
The Elite uses a strong one piece body which holds the fixed parts securelyin place. Made from a special type of ultra-rigid, glass reinforced polyestercalled Pocan®, the body can be tightly bolted to the head shell for maximumefficiency and optimum sound quality. Because Pocan® has a highstrength-to-mass ratio, the overall mass of the Elite is kept below 6.0 g.
Each Elite cartridge is hand-built and then individually adjusted forazimuth and compliance by our experts. The correct setting of stylus azimuth(or horizontal tracking angle) is essential for the maintenance of a properstereo sound stage. Badly adjusted azimuth can cause uneven channel balance andincreased crosstalk between channels which would severely degrade the stereoimage. Correct compliance ensures that the cartridge has an even frequencyresponse within the specified limits and will be compatible with all low tomedium-mass tonearms.
Frequency Response 20 Hz-30 kHz +/- 2 dB
Channel Balance within 1 dB @ 1 kHz
Channel Separation better than 25 dB @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity 0.5 mV +/- 1 dB @ 1 kHz
Static Compliance 18 mm/N
Equivalent tip mass 0.35 mg
Vertical Tracking Angle 20 °
Stylus Radius Gyger S
Stylus Type Non-Replaceable
Load Resistance 100 Ω
Load Capacitance 100 - 500 pF
Internal Inductance 2 uH
Internal Resistance 8 Ω
Cartridge Mass 5.7 g
Cartridge Mass (inc. fixings) 6.6 g
Fixing Centre 0.5 " (12.7 mm)
Playing Weight 1.5 - 2.0 g (1.7 g nom.)