Audiophiles love to argue the merits of moving magnet vs. moving coil cartridges. Come to think about it; they love to argue about nearly everything.
However, the MM/MC debate gets sketchier as the price goes up and the line blurs between top-level MM and moderate level MC cartridges. Having owned a Clearaudio Goldfinger for a few years, it is not only their top cartridge but arguably one of the finest cartridges in the world. It’s undoubtedly my favorite, though the $16k price tag always made me jumpy. One wrong move, bam!
Clearaudio’s new Charisma V2 is their statement MM cartridge, taking advantage of cantilever technology from the Goldfinger, with a new, re-designed magnet structure and a wood body. As you might expect, the wood body adds a slight bit of warmth to the overall sound, and in this case, the result is lovely.
Queuing up Jean-Michel Jarre’s trippy Zoolook, the Charisma V2 makes an incredible first impression. Adjusted to perfection with the Analog Magik software suite and Smart Tractor protractor, 2.5 grams of tracking force is where everything comes together. Taking advantage of the MM section of the Bandwidth Audio Kascode One phonostage, the presentation is full of drama – the kind of drama you’d expect out of an MC. Which brings us back to the MM/MC argument.