Our review, to be published 20th February 2019, comprises three pickup cartridges of low output moving coil technology and one moving vane optical from DS Audio. With the light powered DS002, we have the Audio Technica AT-ART1000 ‘direct coil’, the LINN KRYSTAL ‘skeletal’ moving coil, and the Rega Aphelion ‘skeletal’ moving coil, all benchmarked against the  magazine's resident Lyra Delos. In a marathon session Colloms and Bryant carried out extended comparisons for these five cartridges.

Below is a close up of the unusual Audio Technica showing the amazing pair of tiny micro coils, bonded to the boron cantilever just above the stylus. The V-shaped sections are the magnet poles and in use the coils are settled into the two gaps under the influence of the optimal down force.

Audio Technica AT-ART1000 direct coil design is physically heavy. This is also a low output design, and is priced in the UK at nearly £4,500. It is clearly an Audio Technica flagship.

Rega’s Aphelion is of UK manufacture and costs £3,149. Also a low output moving coil, the latter assembly becomes correctly aligned when the correct tracking force is applied. The generator is a tiny micro cross coil assembly distinguished by an absence of the usual tie-back wire tensioning to the assembly to the magnet. Instead the boron cantilever is supported on a specially designed rubber mount where the correct alignment occurs at the correct tracking force, and then may be micro-adjusted by ear for best sound quality. 

LINN’s KRYSTAL is a development in their ‘skeleton’ series, though at a more moderate price. The somewhat rough hewn appearance is set off by gold plating of the integrated body and magnet poles. It has a fine line naked diamond stylus of low tip mass with an alloy cantilever. Three point mounting is possible.

DS Audio : DS 002 This is the third design in the DS optical series and comes complete with a self powered preamplifier/RIAA equaliser delivering line level output for a line level preamp, this somewhat mitigating the high price.

This cartridge needs four wire connection as each channel’s electro-optics are powered via the lead-out wires from the custom head amplifier-equaliser. The stylus is a Shibata line contact. Lightweight vanes are hidden inside, at about half the extent of the cantilever, with infra red LEDs and matching photo diodes to sense the motion driven by groove modulation. 

Lyra Delos - The current HIFICRITIC mid-price reference is the Lyra Delos, a budget example in Lyra’s range, but pretty exceptional in this, low output moving coil class and a useful benchmark.

Interestingly it has been reported that 65 percent of Harman’s $7 billion in sales during the 12 months ended September 30, 2016  concerned cars, this including  licensing brands such as Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen for vehicle use. Samsung will also gain access to some 8,000 Harman software engineers and designers who have developed advanced automotive software that can monitor driver tiredness. They have developed intelligent control systems incorporating 3D navigation aids and versatile personal entertainment facilities this becoming increasingly important.

Harman has grown considerably in recent years with many acquisitions and the massive portfolio now controls audio and Hi Fi brands including the original Harman Kardon, the 1953 founding brand, AKG, BSS, JBL Professional, Studer, dbx, Soundcraft, Lexicon, DigiTech, Crown, Mark Levinson Audio Systems, Infinity and Revel. There is also a professional solutions division, which includes video switching and control device manufacturer AMX and stage lighting specialist Martin.

​A good sprinkling of Europe’s audio press assembled to meet audio design guru Karl Heinz Fink and industrial designer Keiron Dunk, each of whom contributed much to this ambitious new loudspeaker. Keiron wanted to design a floor stander of uncomplicated and modern elegance, finding a way to marry this with team Karl Heinz’ skills in advanced sound and engineering. 

​Audiophile products distributor Absolute Sounds ran a two day series of presentations at the prestigious West End audio store KJ West One, both for press and public. Absolute Sounds audio technology chief Pedro Jorge Luis has been keeping an eye on the more recent developments at ML now that ML Chief Audio Technologist Joe Voijko, a 20 year veteran of the company, has really got his teeth into high end hybrid moving coil /electrostatic loudspeaker design. Two important developments were brought to our attention, the recently introduced, part active Renaissance Series and new to the UK, the massive and purely passive Neolith flagship weighing nearly 400lb each, where most of this mass is down to the bass section!

​Located at Partridge Green West Sussex, near Brighton UK  Audio Note comprises a sprawling collection of three adjacent, connected industrial units covering warehousing, manufacturing, research and development with a turnover in the low millions Sterling. The organisation has grown like topsy over recent years and is continuing to expand despite its core technologies being primarily based on historic, valve-tubed electronics with top class audio transformers of their own manufacture. 

By Andrew Everard

​The new Bang & Olufsen flagship speaker, the BeoLab 90, was unveiled by the company  at an event held close to its headquarters in Struer, Denmark. Said to represent the company’s vision of ‘the future of sound’ the new model, named in recognition of B&O’s 90th anniversary this Autumn, uses multiple drive units to enable on-the-fly adjustment of sound beam width and direction, plus active room correction, all controlled from an app on a smartphone or tablet.