Korf Audio HS-A03 Moulded Ceramic Headshell

Korf Audio HS-A03 Moulded Ceramic Headshell

Reference:

2830

Condition:

New

Korf Audio HS-A03 - The latest evolution of the exclusive ceramic headshell

Fits all the tonearms that accept the standard "SME/Ortofon/JIS" type straight headshells. If you are worried about the headshell mass and its impact on tracking, please use our Tonearm/Cartridge Matching Calculator. Most arm/cartridge combinations work fine with HS-A03.

SME/Ortofon/JIS type turntable headshell
Single seamless casting, material: Alumina Ceramic
Pure silver Litz connecting wires
Custom gold-plated contact pins
Custom non-magnetic brass mounting hardware
Double locating pin for extremely secure connection
Weight 13 gram, including wires and fingerlift

Most headshells need elastic washers to sit tightly in the tonearm connector. These washers are typically detrimental to the sound. Our precision connector ensures sonically transparent, stable link between the tonearm and the headshell. No need for a washer!

What's included:

– HS-A03 full ceramic headshell
– Pure silver litz wires
– Custom gold-plated contact pins
– Brass fingerlift
– Screws in 3 lengths, knurled nuts, nylon washers

The World's Only Fully Ceramic Headshell

It's a single piece of alumina ceramic:

Light and incredibly strong
As rigid as steel at less than half the weight
The headshell and the connector are one seamless casting
No internal breaks or lesser materials
Unique supporting rib minimizes resonances

Advanced materials and construction make the headshell "disappear" sonically. You will hear what your cartridge and tonearm are really capable of!

Based on a Large Scale Study

We studied dozens of headshells to see what separates the best from the rest:

Quality headshells have high bending resistance. They are very stiff in bending and in torsion, showing low deflection
Quality headshells have low energy storage. They "ring" only for a short time, and have only one or two clearly defined own frequencies

We build our headshell 2-3 times stronger than the next best headshell we measured. While keeping the energy storage as low as the best headshells out there.

No Detail is Ever Insignificant

Pure silver litz wiring
Custom gold-plated contact pins
Double locking pin for a more rigid connection to the tonearm. The clamping load is spread over the entire diameter of the barrel
Beautiful custom-made brass fingerlift, screws and knurled nuts are included
Fully compatible. Fits all the tonearms that accept the standard "SME/Ortofon/JIS" type straight headshells
Supplied in sturdy display packaging

Note: there are some cartridges that need very light or highly resonant headshells to sound good. Such pickup cartridges might not benefit from using the HS-A03 headshell. To the best of our knowledge, these include JICO Seto Hori moving coil cartridge and all Grado MI cartridges

The Danish website Pladespilleren.dk tested the Korf headshell against some serious (and more expensive) competition. Here's what they say:

"Very smooth and with lots of details upwards a "clean" sound. There is a calmness in the upper octaves, but at the same time a very fast bottom that starts and stops. ... Overall, the Korf house is one of the most neutral and revealing I have heard. It can make even cheaper pickups perform their best. ... Definitely an excellent headshell."

"Yes, there is a sound difference in headshells, not just these three, but many others as well. I have long since stopped using headshells of pressed plate. The three headshells tested here all belong to the top. Taking the price into consideration the Korf HS-A02 is close to a best buy. Absolutely recommended."