Group Test Winner – Hi-Fi Choice Magazine
"Reveals Weight and Potency No Other Offering Here Comes Close To"
The superb, sublime, and sensational "S" is the middle member of Michell's new Cusis series of moving coil phono cartridges. It provides a healthy step-up from the entry level Cusis E, while still remaining affordable. Audiophiles in search of uncompromising sound should select the S with supreme satisfaction.
The frequency response of the Cusis S is 20-35000 Hz compared to 20-25000 Hz for the Cusis E, and channel separation is 25dB, compared to 23dB for the E.
The Cusis S has a Shibata stylus, which is known for extended frequency response, lower distortion, better imaging, and better depth compared to a conical or elliptical stylus. Other features include a premium boron cantilever, a large aluminum chassis, and a high-density Acetyl body. The coil material is pure 30µ copper.
"Superb Low-End Extension and Emotional Engagement"
"It's able to reveal a weight and potency that no other offering here can come close to," raves Hi-Fi Choice magazine, which named the Cusis S its Group Test Winner in a September 2021 cartridge shoot-out. "The Michell Cusis S is very accomplished. It’s tonal realism, three dimensionality, superb low-end extension and emotional engagement is something that no other design stitches together as effectively."
"The Cusis S is a rocking good cartridge which does the job supremely well and without any serious criticism," notes Andrew 'Harry' Harrison, hi-fi+, February 6, 2024. "As always with a line-contact stylus it is extremely fussy about azimuth and vertical alignment if you really want to get the next-to-no distortion sound, and as ever the rewards for getting it right – on nearly a record-by-record basis in the case of VTA – are simply rapturous."
The Acclaimed Cusis Cartridge Series
All of Michell's Cusis cartridges share the same moving coil design. At the heart of the cartridge is a samarium-cobalt magnet, which is combined with pure iron to create a very stable magnetic field within the cartridge.
Pure 30μ copper wire is used to precision wind the cartridge coils onto an ultra-lightweight armature, which is mounted onto a specially designed damper. This damper has been specifically designed to give the stylus assembly the perfect support, which ensures the stylus tracks the groove precisely.
The number of coils, resultant output, and body material are optimized for each model's stylus assembly to give the best possible audio output.
Advanced Design Eliminates Vibration and Resonance
The construction of each Cusis cartridge has been carefully designed to eliminate vibration and resonance. The aluminum chassis is designed to absorb unwanted vibration and give a rigid platform to mount the cartridge parts.
The body materials, shapes, and exterior patterns further reduce vibration and resonance, resulting in truly unrivalled levels of detail and neutrality.
