Reference S
The first thing that catches your eye when you look at this cartridge is its housing, made of a type of wood called Bruyere. Thanks to its excellent damping properties, it has been possible to reduce resonance in the cartridge, thereby improving playback precision. The cartridge incorporates many design features derived from the RUBY model. The stylus, manufactured using Micro Ridge technology, is identical and ensures optimal tracking of the record groove. The cantilever is a boron rod with a diameter of 0.28 mm, providing very rigid transmission of the stylus’s movement without uncontrolled vibrations. Unlike the RUBY, this model features a coil with an iron core. It is shaped like a square plate cut on-site in Neuhausen, which makes it possible to achieve the optimal magnetic properties required for such a precision design as the vibrating system used in BENZ MICRO products. Strict adherence to this process allows for the production of a coil that exhibits virtually no inertia in a magnetic field. The result is a system that perfectly converts the needle’s vibrations into an electrical voltage.
Its low output level makes this cartridge ideal for use with preamplifiers that have a high gain factor—that is, typical MC setups.
The REFERENCE S offers a sound that transports the listener directly to the place where the music was created. The cartridge does not favor any particular genre of music; it handles both soloists and large orchestral ensembles with equal ease.
Technical specifications:
| Model | REFERENCE – S |
| Starting Level | 0.26 mV |
| Bracket / drill rod | 0.28 mm |
| Needle | Micro Ridge |
| Coil | croos |
| Needle Dimensions | 5 × 120 µm |
| Internal impedance | 5 Ω |
| Load Capacity | >40 Ω |
| Weight | 9 g |
| Vulnerability | 15 µm/mN |
| Pressure force | 1.6 – 1.9 g |
Due to the manufacturing process, the electrical parameters listed above are average values.