May 2003 AVguide Review

''....the LP sounds unlike any other Benz cartridge I have heard.''

The Benz LP is a special design from Ernst Benz of Switzerland. For the most part, this is a conventional Benz design (although there are a few little tweaks the importer remains secretive about): The motor assembly uses a solid boron cantilever and a nude line-contact stylus. The real news on the LP is the vented Ebony wood body used to house this motor. Now, most Benz models are either ''naked'' or use a more standard wood, but this ebony is said to be hand-picked in Africa from special lots and allowed to cure for a long time.