Joining the current line-up of Magneto MM, Sabre MM, and Mystic MC are the (possibly Mandalorian-inspired) Dark Sabre MM and top-flight and premium-priced XtraX MC phono cartridges.

With the 11.5g Dark Sabre, Vertere continues to champion the moving magnet cartridge, which is perfect for modern high-end integrated amplifiers and is a development of the brand's Sabre model and benefits from a single crystal, nude micro elliptical diamond tip and aluminium telescopic cantilever. Naturally, it also sports a more suitable black aluminium body instead of the other model's burnt orange hue.

Additionally, a new square-shank diamond assembly is said to optimise alignment precision and build consistency and rigidity. Furthermore, the shape of the stylus tip is claimed to improve tracking ability without increasing surface noise or sacrificing high-frequency response. Meanwhile, the revised cantilever uses two different grades of aluminium for stiffness and resonance control.

The cartridge body features threaded fixing holes with three raised sections on the top plate to ensure stable contact with the tonearm headshell. It is optimised to support the cartridge's low-mass generator, held in the housing by four stainless-steel 'spike' screws (rather than being glued) again for performance and alignment. The recommended tracking weight is 2.0g.

An output of 4.3mV and a claimed frequency response of below 14Hz to above 28kHz should mean the Dark Sabre will be welcomed by most moving magnet phono stages.

VERTERE XTRAX

The XtraX moving-coil cartridge also sports the threaded aluminium body, stylus tip and telescopic cantilever as seen on the Dark Sabre, alongside the four-point mounting of the generator in the distinctive hard-anodised light-purple body, albeit a moving coil here and so outputs 0.45mV. It also upgrades the generator to a Samarium-Cobalt magnet with a low-mass cross coil made of pure virgin copper wires compared with the Dark Sabre's Alnico magnet.

The XtraX tips the scales at 11.2g, and Vertere recommends a 2.05g tracking weight. Meanwhile, the claimed frequency response is below 10Hz to 45kHz.

 
Both new models are available from the end of October, with the Dark Sabre moving-magnet cartridge priced at £1,450/ €1,798 and the range-topping XtraX moving coil costing £5,800/ €6,998.

Visit Vertere Acoustics for more information