RS78 Stylus - Replacement needle - Sumiko

• RS78 Stylus - Replacement needle - Sumiko

Needle insertfor playing shellac records
The RS78 needle insert is suitable for the Sumiko MM pickup systems Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone, Wellfleet and Amethyst.

• Spherical stylus (R 76μm)
• Contact force: 5g (4-5.5g)
• Attention: The RS78 is the needle insert, not a complete cartridge!

Upgrading Sumiko MM cartridges
MM cartridges from Sumiko have a consistent modular design and are particularly easy to upgrade. The upgrade is carried out solely by replacing the needle insert without having to replace the cartridge itself. A decisive advantage of this system is that all upgradeable models are operated with identical tracking force. No adjustment or setting work is therefore required on the tonearm after changing the stylus.
The Black Pearl and Pearl models are identical in design and differ only in the stylus used. By replacing the standard Black Pearl stylus with a Pearl stylus, the Black Pearl is completely upgraded to the sound level of the Pearl.
From the Rainier to Amethyst model range, different generators are also used. In addition to the higher-quality needle inserts, these contribute significantly to the tonal differentiation of the individual models. A detailed description of these differences can be found in an in-depth technical report by Bernhard Rietschel in LowBeats magazine.

Sonic advantages of higher-quality needle inserts
As the expansion stage increases, the cartridges benefit from several design improvements that have a direct effect on the playback quality. These include, among others

• lighter and stiffer styli with improved scanning behavior,
• naked mounted diamonds ("nude") instead of set stones,
• more precise and elaborate needle cuts and
• higher quality polishing of the diamond, either along or across the crystal structure of the diamond lattice.

These measures reduce the moving mass, improve the scanning accuracy and lead to a significantly increased resolution, finer dynamic gradations and an overall more natural sound reproduction with less distortion.

Upgrade levels of the stereo needle inserts

• Rainier
  Single stylus with elliptical diamond cut (r/R 8 × 18 µm)
• Olympia
  Better selected scanning diamond with elliptical cut (r/R 8 × 18 µm)
• Moonstone
  Lighter aluminum needle carrier with elliptical diamond cut (r/R 8 × 18 µm)
• Wellfleet
  Naked mounted ("nude") diamond with elliptical cut (r/R 8 × 18 µm)
• Amethyst
  Nude mounted diamond with high-quality line-contact cut (r/R 5 × 20 µm)