RS78 78rpm Stylus
RS78 78rpm Stylus

Sumiko is excited to be introducing the the long-awaited RS 78 stylus for 78rpm discs! This stylus is interchangeable with each of our Next-Gen Oyster MM replacement styli — Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone — and it's never been easier to switch over to shellac when you get the itch. It uses a 78-appropriate bonded 3mil spherical diamond with aluminum cantilever, tracks between 4.0 - 5.5g with a recommended VTF of 5.0g. To be as clear as possible, what we're offering here is only the replacement stylus (the yellow piece). It's pictured both installed and uninstalled, but the 2nd image in the reel depicts what you'll be getting when you order.  

Considerations for 78rpm Records

Please note that it’s not advisable to play 78rpm records with a diamond stylus. Meant to track the ‘microgrooves’ of 33s & 45s, it will sound poor and cause undue harm to the disc (and potentially the cartridge!). Sumiko has developed RS 78 for this very reason. The stylus tracks the grooves properly and reduces the risk of harm to your collection. Keep in mind that Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone & Wellfleet are stereo MM phono cartridges, meaning that their normal job is to transcribe 2 channels (left and right) of musical information. When using RS 78 with any of these cartridges, what you’ll hear is the one channel of musical information (mono) of the 78 in both stereo channels.  

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We've selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there's a perfect cartridge for you here.  

VIDEOS

Replacing/Upgrading a Sumiko Moving Magnet Stylus A Stunning View of Our MMs in Action - Featuring Amethyst

Rainier Phono Cartridge
Rainier Phono Cartridge

Rainier introduces our latest range of Oysters, which raise the bar for what can be expected from reasonably-priced MM cartridges. Our resonance-optimized housing channels extraneous resonance away from the generator, ascertaining a well-represented soundstage with fantastic clarity and a natural hint of warmth. Impressively quiet while delivering impact, Rainier skillfully places instruments & vocals right where they belong. You can expect a broader, rounder soundstage than you previously thought attainable at this price.  

Our Latest Oysters

Designed for discerning, value-minded audiophiles, Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone supplement & complement our existing range of Oysters. They build upon, enhance & refine the sonic character that listeners worldwide have enjoyed for decades. New innovation in cartridge design addresses the problem of resonance — the things that need to happen around a generator to voice a cartridge with honesty. The housing thusly disperses & dissipates resonance, making way for effortless, transparent sonics that are enlivened with intimate nuance. The voicing is true to natural harmonics, space around voices & instruments as well as their attack & decay. Unique to these 3 Oysters (not to mention Amethyst), experience a diminutive backdrop that bolsters sonic images with a degree of aptitude reminiscent of moving coil designs.  

Upgrade Path

Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone replacement styli are interchangeable. We encourage you to follow the upgrade path to experience the best of what this design has to offer!  

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We've selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there's a perfect cartridge for you here.  

VIDEOS

Replacing/Upgrading a Sumiko Moving Magnet Stylus A Stunning View of Our MMs in Action - Featuring Amethyst

Wellfleet Phono Cartridge
Wellfleet Phono Cartridge

Sumiko Phono Cartridges is pleased to premiere Wellfleet, the newest addition to the Rainier collection. The brand has applied and upgraded its award-winning design of the Moonstone cartridge, retuning the suspension for optimal performance of a nude elliptical diamond with the existing generator and resonance-optimized housing found in the rest of the Rainier series.   Wellfleet utilizes a highly polished nude elliptical stylus, eliminating the bonding between the stylus tip and shank. With the new assembly, excessive mass in the shank is cut away to further reduce tip mass, resulting in a faster, more direct, and more accurate response of the stylus’ movement by the cantilever and magnet. Sonically, this increases speed and focuses central images, pulling them toward the listener with a heightened sense for detail.   With the Wellfleet, vocals are immediate, clear, and detailed, the warmth of human vocal work becomes more apparent with hints of rasp and emphasized subtleties, boosted by tight and well controlled bass. Backing vocals become easier to discern, and the listener is able to identify distinct instrumentation such as the rattle of snare wires, or the woody twang of a vintage acoustic guitars. Listeners will hear an improvement in surface noise and sense a more distanced backdrop, facilitating a deeply suspended image.   Flexibility remains paramount in the brand’s offerings. 5 stylus variations capable of utilizing this generator are currently available . Rainier owners can upgrade to Olympia, Moonstone and now Wellfleet with a simple stylus swap (and let's not forget RS 78!).  

Our Latest Oysters

Designed for discerning, value-minded audiophiles, Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone & Wellfleet supplement & complement our existing range of Oysters. They build upon, enhance & refine the sonic character that listeners worldwide have enjoyed for decades. New innovation in cartridge design addresses the problem of resonance — the things that need to happen around a generator to voice a cartridge with honesty. The housing thusly disperses & dissipates resonance, making way for effortless, transparent sonics that are enlivened with intimate nuance. The voicing is true to natural harmonics, space around voices & instruments as well as their attack & decay. Unique to these 4 Oysters (not to mention Amethyst), experience a diminutive backdrop that bolsters sonic images with a degree of aptitude reminiscent of moving coil designs.  

Upgrade Path

Rainier, Olympia, Moonstone & Wellfleet replacement styli are interchangeable. We encourage you to follow the upgrade path to experience the best of what this design has to offer!  

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We've selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there's a perfect cartridge for you here.  

VIDEOS

Replacing/Upgrading a Sumiko Moving Magnet Stylus A Stunning View of Our MMs in Action - Featuring Amethyst

Cartridge 101: Turntable Cartridge Types
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Cartridge 101: Turntable Cartridge Types

There are few worse feelings than coming home to play a vinyl record only to realize your machine’s not up to snuff. Even the most high-quality record players can sound

Olympia Phono Cartridge
Olympia Phono Cartridge

Building on Rainier, Olympia implements an upgraded cantilever assembly that reduces moving mass, translating to more nimble groove tracing, extended nuance and expanded frequency response. A slight decrease in output from Rainier reduces noise in an already-quiet design, improving imaging and perpetuating realism that's rare to come by in this class of cartridge.  

Our Latest Oysters

Designed for discerning, value-minded audiophiles, Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone supplement & complement our existing range of Oysters. They build upon, enhance & refine the sonic character that listeners worldwide have enjoyed for decades. New innovation in cartridge design addresses the problem of resonance — the things that need to happen around a generator to voice a cartridge with honesty. The housing thusly disperses & dissipates resonance, making way for effortless, transparent sonics that are enlivened with intimate nuance. The voicing is true to natural harmonics, space around voices & instruments as well as their attack & decay. Unique to these 3 Oysters (not to mention Amethyst), experience a diminutive backdrop that bolsters sonic images with a degree of aptitude reminiscent of moving coil designs.  

Upgrade Path

Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone replacement styli are interchangeable. We encourage you to follow the upgrade path to experience the best of what this design has to offer!  

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We've selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there's a perfect cartridge for you here.  

VIDEOS

Replacing/Upgrading a Sumiko Moving Magnet Stylus A Stunning View of Our MMs in Action - Featuring Amethyst

Moonstone Phono Cartridge
Moonstone Phono Cartridge

The apex of our 3 new Oysters, Moonstone is dressed to impress. Further reducing moving-mass & output and topped off with our listen-tested 0.3 x 0.7mil elliptical diamond, Moonstone transcribes sonic imagery with weight, richness, depth & sparkle. Texture is keenly realistic. The sonic image is suspended and well-controlled over a nearly-absent noise floor, providing fantastic clarity without etch nor confusion. Compatible with MM preamps and the vast majority of tonearms out there, Moonstone is a must-have for audiophiles on a budget.  

Our Latest Oysters

Designed for discerning, value-minded audiophiles, Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone supplement & complement our existing range of Oysters. They build upon, enhance & refine the sonic character that listeners worldwide have enjoyed for decades. New innovation in cartridge design addresses the problem of resonance — the things that need to happen around a generator to voice a cartridge with honesty. The housing thusly disperses & dissipates resonance, making way for effortless, transparent sonics that are enlivened with intimate nuance. The voicing is true to natural harmonics, space around voices & instruments as well as their attack & decay. Unique to these 3 Oysters (not to mention Amethyst), experience a diminutive backdrop that bolsters sonic images with a degree of aptitude reminiscent of moving coil designs.  

Upgrade Path

Rainier, Olympia & Moonstone replacement styli are interchangeable. We encourage you to follow the upgrade path to experience the best of what this design has to offer!  

Hand-Crafted in Japan

From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We've selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there's a perfect cartridge for you here.  

VIDEOS

Replacing/Upgrading a Sumiko Moving Magnet Stylus A Stunning View of Our MMs in Action - Featuring Amethyst

New Videos for Your Viewing Pleasure
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New Videos for Your Viewing Pleasure

Enjoy our latest videos depicting stylus replacement/upgrade as well as a gorgeous rendering of our moving magnet cartridges in action. Our Rainier cartridge has taken the US by storm as

Cartridge 101: Parts of a Turntable
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Cartridge 101: Parts of a Turntable

Record players are amazing devices that produce far better sound than CD players, cassette players, and MP3 players. For this reason, many audiophiles today still utilize an analog sound system

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