Van Den Hul Colibri XGW Stradivarius Moving Coil Cartridge

The Colibri XGW Stradivarius MC Cartridge is van den Hul's top model custom handbuilt phono cartridge, featuring matched gold coils and a 0.38mV/channel output. As a result of A.J. van den Huls continuous research into improving his phono cartridge designs, the Colibri has seen the light of day.

The Colibri XGW Stradivarius MC Cartridge is the improved successor to van den Hul's Grasshopper Beauty series of phono cartridges where many building components have been removed in a highly successful quest to return to the plain essence of phono transduction. The result is an unbelievably straightforward sounding clean and open design, in all its aspects bearing much resemblance to the "Colibri" named tropical birds swiftness, elegance and beauty; Hence the cartridges name.

The van den Hul Colibri XGW Stradivarius MC Phono Cartridgege features a Koa Wood Body treated with 400 year old formula Stradivarius lacquer that gives it a rigid, hard shell that results in superior sonics and an amazing sound! The Stradivarius also features a medium (0.38mV) output, 24 karat gold coils, a Samarium-Cobalt magnet, extended channel separation and superb tracking ability!

Compared to van den Hul's Grasshopper Beauty series the following differences stand out:

By minimizing and adapting the cartridges total magnetic circuit the related distortion and (Barkhausen) noise have undergone a considerable decrease. This opens up many subtle sound details that never have been heard before; Especially the decay of instrument sounds now stands out much more clearly in the musics totality.

Due to the minimization of the cartridges total magnetic circuit the cartridges mass has been reduced. Together with the possibility to tune the cartridges static compliance on special customer demand it is now possible to use very light tonearms whilst maintaining a very good tracking ability.

By removing the frontpole is has been possible to apply an even shorter cantilever; This further improves the groove-modulation-transductions directness and accuracy.

Due to the minimal magnetic design the output voltage has slightly reduced.

Features

24K Gold Coils

Proprietary van den Hul 1s Stylus

Boron Cantilever

Koa Wood Body treated with 400 year old formula Stradivarius lacquer

Specifications

Frequency response: 5-65,000 Hz

Output voltage: 0.38 mv

Tracking force: 1.35-1.5 grams

Compliance: 35

Body:  Koa wood

Stylus shape: VDH-1S

Stylus radii: 2 x 85 microns

Vertical Tracking angle: 22 degrees

Recommended loading: 40-47,000 ohms; optimal loading: 40-400 ohms

Recommended tonearm effective mass: 10-16 grams

Weight: 6 gms

Internal impedance: 23 ohms