ARSound

The moment the needle is dropped on the record, you will see an unprecedented soundscape. 

The sound of the large hall, the heat that envelops the audience, and the sense of unity between the music and the people that spreads from the stage. 

Experience a new breath of sound that you have never heard before.
Why does the sound of analog records capture people’s hearts and give them peace of mind? 

This is because the feel of playing a musical instrument called a record board is conveyed. 

If the phonograph is the instrument, the record player is the hall, and the cartridge is the performer.

A record is a musical instrument, and the performer is this MEMS cartridge.

Philosophy

gramophone
What is the difference between analog and digital?

In the 19th century, Edison invented the gramophone and recorded sound on a wax tube. 
The 20th century was the era of analog, such as film cameras and records. 
In the 21st century and the digital era, the very existence of analog was questioned. 
Digital is an intangible signal and can be easily copied or erased. 
Films and records cannot be duplicated. 
Records with a history of 140 years are world cultural assets, and the sounds engraved on them will never disappear.

“ARSound” was born with the idea of ​​faithfully reproducing the sound recorded on the vinyl record .

Innovation

MEMS microphone
Can’t you pick up the sound of needles with a microphone?

When you put the needle down on the record, it makes a sound. 
The gramophone amplifies this sound with a horn. 
This sound was captured by a MEMS microphone. 
1mm square condenser microphone MEMS is used in smartphones.

It was the birth of the world’s first cartridge using a microphone.

It brought innovation to conventional cartridges that generated electricity by the vibration of the stylus. 
MEMS cartridges have neither coils nor magnets.

A MEMS microphone captures the sound of the needle.

Technology

Listen to the sound of a record with a MEMS microphone.

When the stylus rubs against the grooves of the record, it vibrates the air and produces sound. 
A horn is attached to the tip of the microphone to pick up this small sound. 
The sound passes through the horn (sound conduit) and becomes a sound pressure of 130dB, and is transmitted to the MEMS microphone. 
The MEMS microphone converts the captured sound into an audio signal with an output voltage of 250mV. 
It is sent directly to the line input without passing through a phono amplifier.

The MEMS cartridge extracts the sound engraved on the record as sound.

Through collaboration with companies in Hamamatsu, the city of musical instruments, where you can enjoy music with
natural tones, we aimed for natural tones that make you feel like you are playing an instrument.

A neat form created by craftsmanship
The gold letters of “Miya” appear on the ebony body. An amplifier cover made of finely finished walnut. The beauty, strength, and comfort of natural wood became the tone.

It takes time to deliver because it is made to order. 
Each Guji-style MEMS cartridge is hand-made, subjected to performance tests and aging, and measured before delivery. We will inform you of the delivery date after receiving your order.

Guji style MEMS cartridge
Guji style MEMS cartridge

The Guji-style MEMS cartridge has amplitude proportional characteristics that use a very small amount of high-sensitivity condenser-type microphone for the pickup. 
It is a structure that guides the vibration of the cantilever to the left and right sound conduits and captures the sound pressure with a microphone. 
The sound pressure transmitted to the microphone by the shape of the sound pipe is equalized, and the test record is adjusted and aged so that the frequency response from 20Hz to 20KHz is almost flat. Since the frequency characteristics are attached to the characteristics table that was actually measured for each product, it is possible to obtain high-quality audio signals. 
Since the MEMS microphone is a condenser type microphone, it requires a power supply and uses a dedicated head amplifier.

Frequency characteristic

The output voltage of conventional MM and MC cartridges was a weak signal of several millivolts (the MC type is about 0.2 to 0.5 mV, which is 1/10 that of the MM type), and the performance of the phono amplifier that amplifies the voltage has a large impact. was doing. 
The Miyaji-style MEMS cartridge, which uses a MEMS microphone, has a high output voltage of 250mV, which can be directly input to the amplifier, so it can be used to achieve the sound of the record, such as the rise of the bass, the sharpness of the treble, and the sound of high resolution. You can listen to a dynamic and realistic sound that you can’t think of as a sound.

MEMS cartridge
MEMS cartridge structure diagram
MEMS cartridge structure diagram

The stylus tip of the Guji-style MEMS cartridge is a solid diamond needle. 
The shape of the cross section of the stylus is a line contact shape in which the surface that contacts the sound groove of the record extends in a long line and makes line contact. Since the contact area with the groove of the record is large, it is possible to read minute signals without missing, and the channel separation and frequency characteristics are good, and the stylus has a long life.

The cantilever of the Guji-type MEMS cartridge uses boron, which is second only to diamond in hardness, and has excellent transient characteristics because of its extremely fast sound transmission speed inside the material. 
By making the tip of the cantilever tip thinner and tapered to reduce the weight of the tip, we are able to improve the ability to follow changes in the sound groove. 
With a light stylus pressure of 1.5g, the pick-up amplitude rises and falls quickly, and even minute nuances can be transmitted extremely faithfully.

The housing of the Guji-style MEMS cartridge is manufactured using 3D printing technology, which is the latest technology. 
The main frame of the housing is three-dimensionally formed by melting metal powder with a laser, and while being extremely lightweight, it has excellent rigidity and exhibits high damping performance. 
The body of the housing is cut from ebony with high precision and has a design that uses many curves to form a housing that is not affected by noise to the MEMS microphone or internal vibration. 
The housing made of metal and wood, which have different natural vibrations, is designed to shut out the resonance of vibrations coming from the player or record surface and eliminate all unnecessary resonances.

Guji style MEMS cartridge
Guji style MEMS cartridge

* The colors in the photos and illustrations may differ slightly from the actual ones due to the display on the screen. Also, please note that some of the standards, specifications, designs, and prices are subject to change without notice.

Main specifications and external dimensions of the cartridge part

formatstereo
Frequency characteristic12Hz to 35kHz
output voltage250mV (1kHz)
output impedance350Ω
channel separation25dB (1kHz)
Needle tip shapeSolid diamond/line contact
cantileverφ0.28mm boron
Needle pressure1.5g
dead weight10g
External dimensionsD29×W17×H14mm
accessoriesProtective cover: 1 
Mounting screws: 4 
Nuts: 2 
Washers: 4 
Hex wrench: 1 
Instruction manual: 1 
Characteristic table: 1
MEMS cartridge size

Click here for the “instruction manual” for the Guji-type MEMS cartridge

listening room

The Guji-style MEMS cartridge uses a condenser-type MEMS microphone, so power must be supplied to the microphone from an external source. 

This power supply is called “phantom power”, and voltage is applied to the diaphragm in advance, and the change in the capacitance of the capacitor is extracted as an audio signal.
To connect the head amplifier, connect the output from the record player and the ground wire to the input side. 

Since the ground side of the Lch is used for the phantom power supply, if the L and R are mixed, no sound will be produced, so please be careful. 

Connect the output side to the LINE (AUX) input of the control amplifier or integrated amplifier. 
If you connect to the PHONO input, the sound will be loud and distorted, so be sure to connect to LINE. 

Plug the 100V power adapter into the head amp plug and use.
Anything other than this dedicated head amplifier cannot be used with the Guji-type MEMS cartridge.
I designed the shortest circuit pattern for the head amp and made a printed circuit board. 

The amplifier cover is made of natural mahogany wood, and the chassis is made of reinforced FRP mixed with 40% glass, with a reinforced protrusion. 

The base of the amplifier is made of 9.5 mm thick cast iron and has a piano-painted mirror finish to prevent unwanted vibrations.
Main standards and external dimensions of head amplifiers
format
stereo
output impedance
10 MΩ
input sensitivity
250mV
Rated output
0.8V/100Ω
SNR
-80dB
power supply
24V (AC adapter)
power consumption
0.1W
mass
420g
External dimensions
D64×W78×H36mm
accessories
100V power adapter

unnamed-1

& Records

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Mike Phalan

Gestalt HiFi

24 Sunlit Dr West

Santa Fe NM 87508

We would like to invite you to visit us at Gestalt HiFi and experience music like never before

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