Sumiko Oriole Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge

Hand-Assembled in Japan

The Oriole is a product of a nearly forty-year partnership between Sumiko and the master craftsmen at Excel Sound in Yokohama. Utilising Japan’s finest materials, each unit is hand-built with a level of precision that only decades of experience can produce.

Nude Shibata Line-Contact Stylus

At the heart of the Oriole is a single-piece nude diamond with a Shibata profile. This design significantly reduces moving mass, allowing the stylus to track complex groove undulations with heightened fidelity. It offers a rich, even-handed approach to detail—avoiding analytical coldness in favour of pure musicality.

High-Speed Reinforced Cantilever

The hollow aluminum cantilever is alloy-reinforced to provide an ideal balance of high rigidity and low mass. This lightweight assembly responds with lightning speed, accurately conveying the most delicate vibrations from the stylus to the moving coil generator.

The Pursuit of Signal Purity

• Individually Wound Cross-Coils: A process requiring immense patience, each coil is wound by hand to ensure a perfectly balanced signal transfer.
• High-Purity Copper: We use specially selected high-purity copper to minimise loss and distortion, contributing to the Oriole’s signature smooth, rich character.

Low Internal Impedance: By utilising fewer coil turns of low-impedance copper, we’ve shortened the signal path and reduced moving mass. This results in faster transients, improved resolution, and explosive dynamics.

Advanced Resonance Control

Resonance management is the core of our Reference Series open-body design. By eliminating the conventional housing, we remove the primary source of resonance-born coloration.

• Aerospace-Grade PEEK: We utilise PEEK—a high-stability polymer used in aerospace engineering—for the mounting and terminal plates. Its extreme stiffness provides an ultra-stable base that allows unwanted vibrations to pass through the headblock and dissipate harmlessly down the tonearm.
• Mechanical Damping: Every individual component of the magnetic circuit is mechanically damped to ensure a "stark black" background for your music.

The Magnetic Engine

The Oriole features a high-efficiency magnetic circuit anchored by a warm, smooth-sounding Alnico magnet. Combined with pure iron yokes and poles, the architecture is meticulously oriented to maximise energy capture while preventing magnetic saturation and signal loss.

Uncompromising Quality Control

Every Oriole undergoes a rigorous multi-stage inspection. Components are microscopically analysed for trueness, and every finished cartridge is individually tested for electrical balance and trackability to ensure it meets our exacting performance specifications before it leaves the bench.

We endeavour to despatch same day for orders placed up to 1pm on available stock items (items with stock message "Usually dispatched within 24 hours"). Please remember to check with us first for a physical stock check if next day delivery is important to you. Any items with stock message "Usually dispatched within 72 hours" are items that we do not hold in stock but order in from the importer or manufacturer as soon as a customer order is received. Occasionally these may be delayed beyond 72 hours due to importer/manufacturer stock levels but we will inform you as soon as we can if this is the case.

UK Orders

We despatch the bulk of our UK mainland items on a 24 hour service – Free of Charge.  Non Mainland locations - Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles, the Scottish highlands and Islands, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland may take a day or so longer and are not Free of Charge. Smaller items are delivered using Royal Mail 24 or special delivery. Larger items are delivered using a courier service such as DPD or UPS.

International Orders:

Due to the nature of our products and brand restrictions we are only able to send certain items internationally. Smaller items are delivered using Royal Mail Small Packets Airmail with International Tracked and/or Signed depending on value of item and availability of the service. Larger International shipments are sent by insured and tracked services using UPS. If there are any delays due to specific customs regulations, etc, you will be contacted by Hifisound or by the courier with a request for any further information required. Customs duties can apply for shipments to any countries outside of the UK depending on where the product you have bought is made. Customers are responsible for all taxes and duties incurred when the items enter their country.

Collect in Store or Home Install

At the request of the manufacturer some items cannot be supplied by mail order but you can click and buy them and then elect to collect them from our store or arrange a home install (if applicable). Applicable items clearly state that they are Collect in store or home install. Once ordered you will receive a message prompting you to contact us by phone or email to arrange for us to deliver and install or to reserve and collect from our store at your convenience, you will also be advised of the delivery time / stock availability as not all Home install / collect in store items are held in stock.