audiofeline Posted February 10 Posted February 10 (edited) JICO have released an original-design MM Cartridge they have called the “Clipper”, as a tribute to Pan American Airways (Pan Am, 1930s-1980s) airliners. For a long time I've felt that headshells/carts have had boring designs. Some vintage tt's have headshells with a lot of design character, from about the mid 60's they all started to look similar and standard. The individual character was lost. I love the look of the "ApexGlide Headshell" on the Clipper - finally individual character has returned to hifi! From the website: In terms of design, the cartridge body features a rounded shape that conveys a “beautiful and gentle” impression. The finger lift, on the other hand, is designed with a sharp, angular form, evoking the vertical tail fin of an airliner, adding a sense of “style and speed.” I have no idea what The Clipper cart/headshell sounds like, I do hope it's audio qualities match the visual design. Credit to Jico for their boldness! https://www.jico-stylus.com/2024/10/jico-original-mm-cartridge-clipper/ Edited February 10 by audiofeline 1
aussievintage Posted February 10 Posted February 10 Looks good. Compatible with Shure 44 styluses I read. Interesting 1
Darryl Posted February 11 Posted February 11 There was one used in this review of the Technics SL-1300G. https://trackingangle.com/equipment/technics-sl-1300g-fills-2000-gap-with-sonic-excellence
stevoz Posted February 11 Posted February 11 (edited) I love the retro look but it's comes with a conical stylus. Now I know the Denon DL103 sounds pretty damn good with it's conical stylus and the Clipper can be upgraded to different stylus profiles quite easily but gee, it seems like a backward step.....but that's just me. Apparently a conical stylus delivers "the Jico sound". I love the emotive sound signature of my DL103 but to me, despite this emotional involvement, the Denon does lack some detail so at some stage down the track, I'll be getting a boron/microridge upgrade via Allclear Audio (cafe latte) to unleash it's full potential.....and I'm guessing Clipper owners may be entertaining similar upgrades once their conical stylus has expired.....but as a design exercise, it's a winner! Edited February 12 by stevoz
stevoz Posted February 11 Posted February 11 (edited) On 11/02/2025 at 6:44 PM, aussievintage said: Looks a bit too plasticy in the photos Wow, certainly doesn't look as smooth and as well finished as the Jico photo. Edited February 12 by stevoz 1
audiofeline Posted February 11 Author Posted February 11 I think the lighting in the above photo of the clipper doesn't do it any favours, but it certainly does look as if it has a lower level of finish compared to the glossy Jico professional photo in the first post. 1
aussievintage Posted February 12 Posted February 12 Anyone else getting a slight StarTrek vibe from it. I mean, a couple of nacelles on the sides and we can boldly go 2
Grimmie Posted February 13 Posted February 13 Inspired by the black toad of Madagascar apparently. Aligning the cart would be tricky with no straight edges to match up with the guage. I know that's not such a problem with a conical but watch out if you stick a micro-line on it.
aussievintage Posted February 13 Posted February 13 2 minutes ago, Grimmie said: Inspired by the black toad of Madagascar apparently. Aligning the cart would be tricky with no straight edges to match up with the guage. I know that's not such a problem with a conical but watch out if you stick a micro-line on it. You should align the cantilever, not the cartridge 4
ReliaBill EngR Posted February 17 Posted February 17 Reminds me too much of the old Bakelite headshells used back in the 1940s and 1950s. Not my cup of tea. 1
metal beat Posted February 17 Posted February 17 (edited) On 13/02/2025 at 12:35 PM, aussievintage said: You should align the cantilever, not the cartridge Not really. Cartridges are manufactured to have their cantilevers straight. If you align to a cantilever that is not quite straight, one has different parameters being stressed when the cartridge is playing. The cantilever will always be off centre using this method. If the cantilever is not straight, you have two choices. Send it back or if the alignment is only slightly off parallel - one can align with the cartridge straight and use antiskating to hopefully readjust the cantilever straight while playing in the record groove. Jonathan Carr the Lyra cartridge designer told me this method. Edited February 17 by metal beat
aussievintage Posted February 17 Posted February 17 (edited) 4 hours ago, metal beat said: Cartridges are manufactured to have their cantilevers straight. That's right, so without a square parallel sided cartridge body to use, align the cantilever - just as I said. Edited February 17 by aussievintage 1
audiofeline Posted February 19 Author Posted February 19 (edited) And here's a link to the SNA PR article on the Jico Clipper: https://stereonet.com/news/jico-clipper-dual-fitting-mm-cartridge-expands-your-options Edited February 19 by audiofeline
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