A legendary cartridge with a pedigree that spans three continents returns to the marketplace and to audiophiles everywhere, thanks to some fantastic entrepreneurs who believe in the LP! With the brilliant engineering efforts of Herman van den Dungen of PrimaLuna fame in the Netherlands, and the superb marketing and financial efforts of Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio in Upland, California, the Kiseki N.S. (which stands for “New Style”) has been renewed, improved, upgraded, and perfected. It will be sold through a select group of dealers that understand analogue.
The Kiseki PurpleHeart N.S. is a true beauty in every sense. Physically, it is made of rare Purpleheart wood, which turns from brown to a golden purple in direct or indirect sunlight. It sports a boron cantilever the size of a human hair, and a diamond so small that my 66-year-old eyes cannot see it, even with a magnifying glass. Though 30mm long, it weighs only 7 grams. Its edges are all right angles which make for easy setup. In addition, its strong .48mV output is a chip shot for all MC step-up devices that exist in the world.
a hand-built beauty
that evokes adjectives normally
reserved for art or jewellery
“mystique” and “masterpiece”
A musical masterpiece
- Revival of a legend
- High-end aesthetic
- Ultimate quality
- Precious materials
- Unparalleled beauty
- Natural performance
Ongoing (re) search
- With perfect mechanics
- To perfect analog
- For perfect digital
- It’s unbelievable that such a beautiful musical masterpiece is back! I own a Kiseki Blue, but one about 20 years old.
Reviews
Review by Jeff Dorgay for Tone Audio (2014) [PDF]
Review by Robert Levi for Posi+ive Feedback (2014) [PDF]
MC Kiseki PurpleHeart N.S. – SPECIFICATIONS
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Body: PurpleHeart Wood, 30 mm long
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Cantilever: Solid Boron Rod: 0.3 mm diameter
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Stylus: 0.12 x 0.12 Nude line-contact diamond, mirror polished
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Stylus tip radius: 4 x 120 μm
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Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA): 20 degrees
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Coilbody: pure iron
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Weight: 7 grams
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Output voltage: 0.48mV at 5cm/s
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Internal impedance: 42 ohms
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Frequency response: 20 – 30,000Hz ± 1dB
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Channel balance: 0.2dB
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Channel Separation: 35dB at 1kHz
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Tracking ability at 315Hz at a tracking force of 2.6 grams: 80 μm
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Dynamic Compliance: 16 μm/mN
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Recommended loading: 400 ohms (Bob Levi: I disagree! 800-1000 ohms)
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Recommend tracking force: 2.0 – 2.6 grams (Bob Levi: I disagree! 2.1-2.4)
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Optimum tracking force: 2.46 grams (Bob Levi: I disagree! 2.3 grams is perfect)
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Recommended tone arm mass: Medium
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Optimum working temperature: 20 °C
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Break-in period: 50 – 100 hours
