BENZ Micro

Benz Micro is a Swiss manufacturer of handmade moving-coil cartridges from Neuhausen am Rheinfall, led since 1994 by Albert Lukaschek.

The coils are wound by hand under a microscope, each system listened to individually before it leaves the workshop. The lineup is small and has grown over decades – not a catalog to flip through, but a handful of systems that build on one another. At HD Zürisee in Wädenswil you get them mounted and aligned, ready to go.

The Benz Micro range at our store

These are all pure MC systems. The letter in the model name stands for the output level – L (Low), M (Medium), H (High) – and that determines which phono stage you need.

  • Zebra L, M and H – the entry point with a zebrano wood body, in Low (0.4 mV), Medium (0.8 mV) and High Output (2.5 mV).
  • Ebony L, M and H – ebony body, same logic for output level; plus Ebony TR as a specialist for operation with a step-up transformer (SUT).
  • LP and LP S – the brand's great classics; the LP S is the reference model with an ebony body and brass frame.
  • Reference S – cross-coil generator in briar burl wood, positioned between the Ebony and the Ruby systems.
  • Ruby Z and Ruby ZH – the current Ruby generation with a zebrano body, in Low Output (Z) and High Output (ZH).
  • Gullwing SLR and SHR – the open construction based on the LP S, likewise in Low and High Output.

Honestly speaking

Benz Micro sounds warmer, more full-bodied and natural rather than sharp and analytical – if you rank musicality above the dissecting table, you're in the right place. For this you need an MC-capable phono stage or a step-up transformer and a tonearm that suits the system. And honestly: a Benz on a poorly aligned arm is expensively bought mediocrity. We'll tell you in advance whether the combination works – even if the answer is sometimes "take the smaller model".

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special phono stage for Benz Micro?

Yes. All Benz Micro systems are moving coils. The L variants at 0.26 to 0.4 mV need an MC phono stage with around 60 dB of gain or a step-up transformer, the M variants get by with medium gain, the H variants run on a normal MM input. Tell us your phono stage, and we'll help you place it.

How does Benz Micro sound?

Tending toward warm, full and natural – musical rather than clinical. Tonal color and fine dynamics are in the foreground, not the last sharp edge. How clearly this character comes through depends heavily on the tonearm, phono stage and termination resistance. We look at exactly this combination with you before you order.

Which Benz model suits my tonearm?

That's decided by the interplay of the system's compliance and the tonearm's effective mass. Benz systems are considered comparatively forgiving and suit most common arms. Tell us your turntable and arm, then we calculate the resonance frequency and name the sensible series.

Why buy Benz Micro at HD Zürisee?

Because with an MC system, the mounting counts just as much as the system itself. We mount and align in-house, check termination and tracking force, and advise you beforehand on the matching phono stage. Call us, write to us or use WhatsApp – you'll get an honest assessment, not a sales pitch.

Goes well with

A Benz needs a matching phono preamplifier and a cleanly running deck from our turntables. The other systems in-house you'll find under cartridges, everything about the record under Everything Vinyl – and the connection in between at the cables.

Benz Micro LP MC-Tonabnehmer Moving Coil mit Ebenholz-Body Schrägansicht