Cantilever Material
Cantilever material identifies what the slender part carrying the stylus is made from. It transfers stylus movement to the generator, which produces the cartridge’s electrical signal.
The tip touches the record groove; its shank attaches it to the cantilever. A diamond tip does not mean a diamond cantilever. Some designs instead form tip and cantilever from one piece of diamond.
Cantilever Material — Cartridge
Low moving mass helps the assembly follow rapid groove movements; rigidity limits unwanted bending that would alter the transmitted motion.
Compare the full description: tube, solid and tapered describe construction, while diameter is a separate measurement. Gold-plated boron means boron with a gold coating, not a gold cantilever. Retain these qualifiers when comparing specifications.
The material name alone cannot rank sound quality. The complete stylus, cantilever and generator design matters, rather than one material considered in isolation.
Sources
- AT-ART20 stylus and cantilever construction — Audio-Technica
- AT33PTG/2 specifications — Audio-Technica
- AT-VM95E specifications — Audio-Technica
Sources
- Cartridge components — Ortofon
- AT-MC2022 integrated diamond construction — Audio-Technica