APOLLO MC CARTRIDGE

The success of our Zeus cartridge pleased our designers and engineers, but the praise tormented them, as well. Had they done the absolute best they could? The answer was ‘yes’. But now with more experience, more time and an unlimited budget… This possibility channeled their torment into obsession. They commanded the finest materials available at any price, designing, prototyping, testing, and listening. The body would be carved from stone—onyx. The boron cantilever would have a natural—not lab grown—diamond of grade VVS1, three or four grades more clear than a typical engagement ring and so expensive they are rare or not sold by most retail jewelers. Wiring and coils would be the finest copper. The pins would be 24kt gold plated.

The result is the astonishing Apollo moving coil (MC) cartridge. Befitting the Sun God himself, the Apollo goes beyond: more details, more transparency, more finesse, more air, and more musicality. Music revealed by the Apollo is crystallin clear, without fogginess, without haziness. Each note is sharp, crisp, and clean, filled with body and authority. Louis Armstrong’s formidable raspy voice can be fully appreciated as never before. The fidelity is so good as to raise questions. Can the Apollo reveal the wood in an acoustic guitar? Yes, we can hear the tonal variations between cedar vs rosewood vs spruce.

Type: Moving coil (dynamic)
Output Voltage: 0.3mV (3.54cm/sec, 1KHz)
Frequency Response: 10Hz–50KHz
Channel Separation: 30dB (1KHz)
Channel Balance: 0.5dB (1KHz)
Tracking Force: 2.0g
Tracking Ability: 70µm at recommended 2.0g
Compliance: 12µm/mN
Internal Impedance: 4Ω
Load Impedance: 100Ω
Coil Wire: Proprietary copper
Cantilever Material: Solid boron 0.28mm
Stylus: Micro-Ridge solid diamond
Contact Radius: 3µm x 70µm
Net Weight: 11.9g