Miyajima

The company was founded and is run by Mr. Noriyuki Miyajima, a music lover and enthusiast of high-quality sound. As a consumer, he followed the development of audio reproduction devices and related technology. He began selling audio equipment, and after many years of observation and in-depth study, he also began manufacturing it. As he writes in his company materials, “For years, I treated audio as a hobby, but the more I learned about its history and the technology behind it, the harder it became to find a device that met my expectations. I also believe that the available technology has not been fully utilized.” His interest focused on phono cartridges and related peripherals. After years of experimentation and research, he patented “his own” version of a mono cartridge in 2002, and stereo cartridges in 2005.
What sets Miyajima’s stereo cartridges apart is, among other things, a different method of mounting the cantilever, which has a diamond attached at one end and a coil at the other. Figures 1 and 2 show the differences in the mechanical design of the cartridges.

In a standard cartridge, the cantilever is secured by a thin wire that tenses it and presses it against the yoke located behind the coils. Between the yoke and the coils is a spring made of a flexible material, such as silicone. In Miyajima cartridges, this arrangement is reversed, and the cantilever—along with the coil and the diamond—is pressed against the front yoke of the cartridge. A spring is located between the yoke and the coil. Another difference lies in the way the coils are wound and the material used for the coil core. In the traditional design, the coil core is made of iron, and the coil is wound in the conventional manner.

Miyajima core cartridges have a core made of magnetically neutral resin, and the coils are wound using the “cross ring” method.

All of these measures made it possible to create a series of cartridges with their own distinct character, a very consistent sound, and ones that satisfied their creator, Mr. Noriyuaki Miyajima. The presentation below illustrates the differences in the performance and construction of Miyajima cartridges.